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FRIDAY, August 15, 2003
English Premiership League Season Preview The Contenders ARSENAL Name: Gunners Location: London Stadium: Highbury Park Manager: Arsène Wenger 02-03 EPL Finish: 2nd (23-9-6, 78 pts) GF: 85 (2.24 gpm) GA: 42 (1.11 gpm) Key Losses: GK David Seaman (retired) Key Additions: MF Simon Perrotta (Chievo), GK Jens Lehmann (Dortmund) Top Players: SC Thierry Henry (24 g), SC Dennis Bergkamp (4 g), WG Silvain Wiltord (10 g), MF Patrick Vieira (3 g), WG Robert Pires (14 g), CB Sol Campbell, FB Lauren, GK Jens Lehmann The Good: French star Thierry Henry is one of the top scorers in the world, and his front line partner Dennis Bergkamp is one of the best sidekicks in the business. Sylvain Wiltord gives the Gunners a great trio up front, and also a fine playmaker on the wing. On the other wing, Robert Pires is a scary player to have to stop, and Patrick Vieira, Simon Perrotta and Gilberto form a very steady midfield corp. Sol Campbell centers a strong backline, which returns veteran Martin Keown, and fullbacks Lauren and Ashley Cole. The Bad: Longtime star in net David Seaman has finally decided to call it quits. Not that anyone is crying for the Gunners. All they did was grab one of the best goaltenders in the Bundesliga in Dortmund’s Jens Lehmann. Another issue to consider is whether the great depth Arsenal has will hurt the club chemistry, as players who would star elsewhere deal with part time play at Highbury. CHELSEA Name: Blues Location: London Stadium: Stamford Bridge Manager: Claudio Ranieri 02-03 EPL Finish: 4th (19-10-9, 67 pts) GF: 68 (1.79 gpm) GA: 38 (1.00 gpm) Key Losses: MF Boudewin Zenden (Middlesbrough loan), MF Jody Harris (Leeds), FB Graeme La Saux (Southampton), SC Giancarlo Zola (Cagliari), MF Enrique de Lucas (Aláves) Key Additions: SC Hernan Crespo (Inter), SC Djibril Cissé (Auxerre), SC Adrian Mutu (Parma), MF Joe Cole (West Ham), MF Juan Sebastián Verón (Man U), WG Damien Duff (Blackburn), CB Olaf Mellberg (Aston Villa), FB Wayne Bridge (Southampton) Top Players: SC Eidur Gudjohnsen (10 g), SC Hernán Crespo (7 g), SC Djibril Cissé (14 g), SC Adrian Mutu (18 g), MF Juan Sebastián Verón (2 g), MF Joe Cole (4 g), WG Damien Duff (9 g), CB Olof Mellberg, FB WB Wayne Bridge, FB William Gallas (4 g) The Good: Chelsea went on a spending spree the past three months that seems almost unparalleled in football history, thanks to new, wealthy management. And this wasn’t a bad team to begin with. The forward foursome of Eidur Gudjohnsen, Hernán Crespo, Adrian Mutu and Djibril Cissé might be the best forward group in the league, although Manchester United might have something to say about that. The midfield has terrific depth, including playmaking midfielders Juan Sebastián Verún and Joe Cole, and explosive striker Damien Duff. William Gallas is one of the few returning starters guaranteed a first team spot, and that’s because he’s one of the best wingbacks in the league. He gets able help from Olaf Mellberg in the middle and Wayne Bridge opposite of him to give Chelsea star power at all three levels. Carlo Cudicini is a lid, if unspectacular goalie. The Bad: The obvious issue is whether so much star talent can co-exist with each other. At least with Arsenal’s depth, much of the talent has been playing with each other for a while. This is a hodgepodge of talent that may or may not work together, and that’s above and beyond the very simple truth that there is only so much playing time to go around. If they can get past that, though, this squad has as much talent as any team in the league, including Arsenal and Manchester United. LIVERPOOL Name: Reds Location: Liverpool Stadium: Anfield Manager: Gerard Houllier 02-03 EPL Finish: 5th (18-10-10, 64 pts) GF: 61 (1.61 gpm) GA: 41 (1.08 gpm) Key Losses: None Key Additions: WG Harry Kewell (Leeds), MF Freddy Indurley Grisales (Atlético Nacional), Steve Finnan (Fulham) Top Players: SC Michael Owen (19 g), WG Harry Kewell (14 g), MF Freddy Inurley Grisales (8 g), WG Steven Gerrard (5 g), MF John Arne Riise (6 g), MF Danny Murphy (7 g), DC Sami Hyypiä (3 g), FB Steve Finnan, GK Jerzy Dudek The Good: .The Reds don’t have the amazing depth of some of the more wealthy teams, but they have the star power to match anyone. Michael Owen is one of the top strikers in the league, and he is ably aided by Emile Heskey and a deep forward crew. The additions that could key a run back to the top of the table, though, were the acquisitions of Harry Kewell and Freddy Indurley Grisales. Both represent an impressive array of dynamic skills, with Kewell possibly the best scoring winger in the league, with all due respect to Arsenal’s Robert Pires. With standouts like winger Steven Gerrard and midfielder Danny Murphy still around, this is one of the best frontline midfield groups in football. In fact, they are so good, they may have forced explosive playmaking midfielder John Arne Riise into a backline attacking fullback position, where he can only make them stronger. He joins holdover Sami Hyypiä, one of the strongest centrebacks in the league, and solid Fulham addition Steve Finnan on the right to give Liverpool perhaps the league’s best backline. All of this only helps Polish keeper Jerzy Dudek, one of the best in the biz. The Bad: It’s not so much that they don’t have depth—they actually have an impressive array of first team talent, top to bottom. It’s just that this squad as it is now can match up with any team in the world. But one injury, and it falls a little further than Man U or Chelsea would. And while the Reds are certainly not poor, they don’t have the resources of those clubs to go out and fix problems with a transfer either. If they stay healthy, though, this side could surprise those assuming another Man U/Arsenal battle for the league prize. It’s a smaller issue, but there will obviously be an adjustment period for Kewell and Grisales, and Riise will have to adjust as well into a more defensive role—which doesn’t fit his skills and may not appeal to him. MANCHESTER UNITED Name: Red Devils Location: Manchester Stadium: Old Trafford Manager: Alex Ferguson 02-03 EPL Finish: 1st (25-8-5, 83 pts) GF: 74 (1.95 gpm) GA: 34 (0.90 gpm) Key Losses: WG David Beckham (Real Madrid), MF Juan Verón (Chelsea) Key Additions: SC Nicolas Anelka (Man City), WG Cristiano Ronaldo (Sporting), GK Tim Howard (NY-NJ MetroStars) Top Players: SC Ruud van Nistlerooy (25 g), Anelka (14 g), MF Paul Scholes (14 g), MF Roy Keane, WG Ryan Giggs (8 g), CB Rio Ferdinand, FB Gary Neville, GK Fabien Barthez The Good: The Red Devils remain one of the world’s premier football superpowers. The recent acquisition of star French striker Nicolas Anelka gives them one of the top pairs of strikers in the world, with Dutchman Ruud van Nistlerooy leading the way. Paul Scholes is one of the best playmaking midfielders in the world, and left winger Ryan Giggs is a dynamite scorer. Roy Keane returns to do the dirty work in the middle. In the backfield, Rio Ferdinand once again returns to center the backline. He gets help from the Neville brothers, Phil and Gary, at wingback. The squad remains well-supported and has shown a willingness to go out and get the players it needs. There is also tremendous depth and one of the most respected managers in football history in Sir Alex Ferguson. The Bad: Man U’s main issue in the offseason was how to replace superstar winger David Beckham, now with Real Madrid. They brought in Brazilian Kléberson and Sporting’s Cristiano Ronaldo to compete for the spot. A new issue arose recently when longstanding star goalkeeper Fabien Barthez said he was unhappy with Ferguson and wanted to leave the club. That issue is hanging over the club’s head at the moment, but they did bring in American goalkeeper Tim Howard just in case. (cont.) |
FRIDAY, August 15, 2003
Second Tier BLACKBURN Name: Rovers Location: Blackburn Stadium: Ewood Park Manager: Graeme Souness 02-03 EPL Finish: 6th (16-12-10, 60 pts) GF: 52 (1.37 gpm) GA: 43 (1.13 gpm) Key Losses: WG Damien Duff (Chelsea), WG Keith Gillespie (Leicester), MF David Dunn (Birmingham) Key Additions: MF Barry Ferguson (Rangers), MF Dino Baggio (Lazio), MF Brett Emerton (Feyenoord), FB Vratislav Gresko (Parma), DC Lorenzo Amoruso (Rangers), Markus Babbel (Liverpool loan), GK Peter Encklemann (Aston Villa loan) Top Players: SC Dwight Yorke (8 g), SC Andrew Cole (7 g), MF Barry Ferguson (16 g), MF Tugay, MF Brett Emerton (3 g), CB Lorenzo Amoruso, CB Markus Babbel, GK Brad Friedel The Good: The team seems better suited to the 4-3-3 they run now. The addition of the explosive Barry Ferguson could completely reshape the Rovers’ midfield. With Tugay and Brett Emerton around to handle defensive duties, this team becomes tougher in the middle, too. Lorenzo Amoruso and Markus Babbel form a very solid center for the backline. This only figures to help Brad Friedel, whom has turned himself into a solid and dependable keeper. Even if Friedel were to falter or get hurt, the Rovers really helped their depth by adding Villa’s starting netminder from last season in Peter Encklemann. The Bad: The one thing lacking from the Rovers that is glaring is the need for a true standout scorer. They were a fine defensive squad last year, but they seem to have made more moves to make them even more defensive, rather than looking for offense. Ferguson’s addition counteracts that, of course, but he will have to take on the scoring duties of both Damien Duff and David Dunn, both of whom are now on other Premiership squads. With three strikers up front, the lack of a dominant frontliner is even more apparent. Dwight Yorke and Ashley Cole are both solid, but they have nothing on the premier scorers in the league. A player to watch is Manchester United transfer Danny Nardiello, who could do very well with increased time. EVERTON Name: Blues Location: Liverpool Stadium: Goodison Park Manager: David Moyes 02-03 EPL Finish: 7th (17-8-13, 59 pts) GF: 48 (1.26 gpm) GA: 49 (1.29 gpm) Key Losses: None Key Additions: WG James McFadden (Motherwell), GK Nigel Martyn (Leeds) Top Players: SC Tomasz Radzinski (11 g), SC Wayne Rooney (6 g), SC Kevin Campbell (10 g), MF Thomas Gravesen, WG James McFadden (16 g), FB David Unsworth (5 g), CB Joseph Yobo, DC Alan Stubbs The Good: Everton remains a very young team with a bright future. They begin to put it together last year and put themselves in Europe this year. Now it is time for them to take the next step into table-topping competition, assuming their kids are ready to take another step forward. Observers continue to gaga over the immense talent Wayne Rooney is said to have, but this team ticks with the steady contributions of Tomasz Radzinski and Kevin Campbell. The threesome is a powerful group to have. Gravesen returns as the steady hand in the middle of the offense, but the reason to look forward to an exciting new attack is solely on transfer addition James McFadden, an exciting Scottish winger who could soon be putting his name up there with the Giggs, Pires and Kewell’s of the English winger star-ocracy. The backline star-in-the-making is Joseph Yobo, who only needs a little more playing time to turn himself into a premier backliner. He is partnered with the efficient Alan Stubbs. FB David Unsworth can put a few intot he net if he isn’t watched for forward runs. The Bad: Richard Wright is an impressionable young goalkeeper with good talent and a bright future. Former Leeds keeper Nigel Martyn is a crafty veteran who knows his way around the net in the Premiership. They are at about equal talent right now, but Martyn’s vet savvy might be more important to this young team. If Wright is forced to sit after starting for this squad, will that cause chemistry issues? Yobo is a tremendous talent, but he, too, is still learning. Mistakes in front of the net can bring awful results. While there is talent there, the defense isn’t really as strong as it needs to be. Up front, the forward crew is very effective, but until Rooney develops into a superstar, they lack that one true explosive playmaker they need scoring goals. NEWCASTLE UNITED Name: Magpies Location: Newcastle Stadium: St. James Park Manager: Bobby Robson 02-03 EPL Finish: 3rd (21-6-11, 69 pts) GF: 63 (1.66 gpm) GA: 48 (1.26 gpm) Key Losses: None Key Additions: MF Sean Davis (Fulham), MF Lee Bowyer (West Ham) Top Players: SC Alan Shearer (17 g), SC Craig Bellamy (7 g), WG Laurent Roberts (5 g), MF Sean Davis (3 g), WG Nolberto Solano (7 g), FB Olivier Bernard, CB Alan Hughes, GK Shay Given The Good: Newcastle got far last season behind a trio of top forwards in SC Alan Shearer, Craig Bellamy and Shola Ameobi. Those three return to lead the offensive attack. Nolberto Solano amd Laurent Roberts form one of the better wing combos in the league, and Sean Davis solidifies the middle. Keeper Shay Given returns as the team’s effective netminder. The Bad: For a squad that ended up third in the league, the Magpies could have been stronger defensively. Depth in the midfield will ehlp this, but the main problem is the lack of any true backfield star. Olivier Bernard and Alan Hughes lead the squad’s defenders, as they return all their starters from last season. Newcastle has made an agreement with Leverkusen playmaking fullback Lúcio, and he would solve their backline problems, but he has yet to receive a work permit. (cont.) |
FRIDAY, August 15, 2003
Pushing For Europe LEEDS UNITED Name: United Location: Leeds Stadium: Elland Road Manager: Eddie Gray 02-03 EPL Finish: 15th (14-5-19, 47 pts) GF: 58 (1.53 gpm) GA: 57 (1.50 gpm) Key Losses: WG Harry Kewell (Liverpool), FB Danny Mills (Middlesbrough—loan), GK Nigel Martyn (Everton) Key Additions: MF Olembe (Marseille loan), MF Jody Morris (Chelsea), WG Jermaine Pennant (Arsenal loan) Top Players: SC Mark Viduka (20 g), SC Alan Smith (3 g), MF Eirik Bakke, MF Olembe, MF Jody Morris, WG Nick Barmby (4 g), WG Jermaine Pennant (3 g), CB Lucas Radebe, CB Michael Duberry, GK Paul Robinson The Good: For a team that has seen guys named Kewell, Keane, Fowler, Bowyer and Woodgate leave Leeds in financially-motivated transfers, United is surprisingly strong still. In fact, after underachieving to a spot just above relegation and then bringing in some new possibilities for the first team, maybe Leeds has finally begun to turn it around. Mark Viduka and Alan Smith form one of the better striker suos in the league. Viduka is a star, and Smith has the talent to become one. The midfield is deep, so deep it can swallow up the loss of Harry Kewell to transfer and Eirik Bakke to injury, and still put up a solid foursome. Nick Barmby gets the chance to come out from Kewell’s shadow by taking over his wing spot, and Arsenal loan Jermaine Pennant is an exciting option on the other side, along with star winger in the making James Milner. Olembe and Jody Harris were brought in as a defensive midfield, roles they are well suited for. Paul Robinson is a solid goalkeeper. The Bad: For all that offense, the defense needs a bit of work. Leeds was one of the better offensive teams in the league, and also one of the worst defensively. For all the moves they made to shore up the holes transfers have created in their offense, they didn’t do much to repair that defense. Centrebacks Lucas Radebe and Michael Duberry are okay, but they need more help back there. On top of that, both Duberry and Viduka are unhappy at the club and looking to move. The club can’t afford to lose either on the pitch, but offseason finances may force the moves anyway. If this team holds together, they can contend for a spot in Europe. But that’s a huge if. MIDDLESBROUGH Name: Boro Location: Middlesbrough Stadium: Riverside Stadium Manager: Matthew Kieta 02-03 EPL Finish: 11th (13-10-15, 49 pts) GF: 48 (1.26 gpm) GA: 44 (1.16 gpm) Key Losses: WG Geremi (Chelsea) Key Additions: MF Boudewin Zenden (Chelsea loan), FB Danny Mills (Leeds loan), MF Gaizka Mendieta (Lazio loan), CB Salvatore Fresi (Juventus), GK Carlo Nash (Man City) Top Players: SC Massimo Maccarone (9 g), SC Michael Ricketts (7 g), MF Juninho (3 g), MF Gaizka Mendieta, CB Gareth Southgate, CB Ugo Ehiogu, FB Danny Mills The Good: The Boro had one of the top defensive units in the league last season, and they return most of the backline and starting goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer, and they have added versatile fullback Danny Mills and forward centreback Salvatore Fresi. Even with the injury to top centreback Ugo Ehiogu which will put him out until January, the squad should be solid in front of their own net. Gaizka Mendieta and Juninho are both active playmakers, and young strikers Massimo Maccarone and Michael Ricketts could be poised for breakthrough seasons. The Bad: For all the potential of Maccarone and Ricketss, they haven’t really broken through yet. And that shows in the Boro’s offensive numbers. While they were one of the better defensive squads, they weren’t very effective on the offensive end. They are going to need Mendieta and Boudewin Zelden to be instrumental in the middle of the field to turn this squad into one that is more effective in scoring goals. It would help if the wings were stronger, but the Boro’s collection of sideliners is either unproven or proven to be poor. The defense should still be solid, but the loss of Ehiogu is huge. The final factor, and perhaps most important, is the new manager. Matthew Kieta has no experience in English football, and that fact could tear down even the best group of players. SOUTHAMPTON Name: Saints Location: Southampton Stadium: St. Mary’s Stadium Manager: Gordon Strachan 02-03 EPL Finish: 8th (13-13-12, 52 pts) GF: 43 (1.13 gpm) GA: 46 (1.21 gpm) Key Losses: FB Wayne Bridge, MF Chris Marsden Key Additions: SC Kevin Phillips (Sunderland), CB Fitz Hall (Oldham), FB Darren Kenton (Norwich), FB Graeme Le Saux (Chelsea) Top Players: SC James Beattie (23 g), SC Kevin Phillips (6 g), MF Matthew Oakley, WG Fabrice Fernandes (3 g), CB Fitz Hall, FB Graeme Le Saux The Good: Southampton is a team in youthful transition, so finishing up eighth last seasonw as quite a feat. That young talent seems about ready to flourish. James Beattie is already one of the best scorers in the league, the type of player that gives the Saints a chance in any close match. The addition of Sunderland’s Kevin Phillips moves past starter Brett Ormerod to a backup role, strengthening the team’s scoring depth. Popular midfielder Matthew Oakley has enough quality young depth behind him that he is even at risk of losing his first team spot to players like Anders Svensson and David Prutton. On the wing, Fabrice Fernandes is the best returning starter. He isn’t flashy, but he’s solid. Two lower division transfers in Fitz Hall and Darren Kenton gifure to have a big impact on the back line, which returns all of last season’s starters as well. Kenton and Chelsea transfer Graeme Le Saux should make Southampton very solid at the wingback spots. The Bad: It appears that there could be a goalkeeper controversy in Southampton, as incumbent Antti Niemi may have to fight off Paul Jones for his first team role. The wingers, while solid physically and defensively, lend very little to the offense, which could cause pressure problems for Beattie and company up front. Overall, Southampton was a very poor offensive side last season, and Beattie scored more than half of their goals. Considering Phillips is the only significant addition expected to see first team pitch time, this may not change so fast. (cont.) |
FRIDAY, August 15, 2003
Safe In The Middle BIRMINGHAM CITY Name: Blues Location: Birmingham Stadium: St. Andrews Manager: Steve Bruce 02-03 EPL Finish: 13th (13-9-16, 48 pts) GF: 41 (1.08 gpm) GA: 49 (1.29 gpm) Key Losses: SC Geoff Horsfield (West Bromich Albion), MF Aliou Cissé Key Additions: SC Mikaell Forsell (Chelsea loan), MF David Dunn (Blackburn), CB Mike Duff (Cheltenham), GK Maik Taylor (Fulham loan) Top Players: SC Mikaell Forsell (7 g), ML Christophe Dugarry (5 g), MF David Dunn (8 g), WG Stan Lazaridis, CB Mike Duff, CB Kenny Cunningham, GK Maik Taylor The Good: The Blues were one of the worst offensive teams in the Premeirship, so the acquisition of well-regarded young striker Mikaell Forsell, even on loan, is a step in the right direction. It says a lot that Forsell immediately becomes Birmingham’s top striker. Forsell and last year’s top striker, Clinton Morrison, should improve on last year’s results. The forwards will likely perform better with a strong midfield behind them. The addition of David Dunn solidifies a midfield that already had good playmakers in Christophe Duggary and Stan Lazaridis. Maik Taylor should be an improvement in the net. The Bad: Until Forsell capitalizes on his talent, Birmingham remains a very weak offensive squad. Good scoring from the midfield aside, this club needs stronger contributions up front to get better. The defense has a pair of decent centrebacks in Mike Duff and Kenny Cunningham, but they are weak at wingback. Even in the middle, neither Duff nor Cunningham scare anyone. The defense should be decent, but it’s not good enough to win the club’s matches if the offense doesn’t step it up. BOLTON WANDERERS Name: Wanderers Location: Bolton Stadium: Reebok Stadium Manager: Sam Allardyce 02-03 EPL Finish: 17th (10-14-14, 44 pts) GF: 41 (1.08) GA: 51 (1.34) Key Losses: None Key Additions: SC Kevin Davies (Southampton), SC Jardel (Sporting), WG Stelios Giannakopoulos (Olympiakos) Top Players: SC Henrik Pedersen (7 g), SC Jardel (11 g), WG Giannakopoulos (11 g), MF Jay Jay Okocha (7 g), MF Youri Djorkaef (7 g), GK Juusi Jaaskelainen The Good: After a season in which they finished among the worst in the league offensively, the Wanderers remade themselves with some key acquisitions. Jardel and Stelios Giannakopoulos are exciting scorers who can make a difference in the offensive end. They have also managed to hold onto Youri Djorkaef, the linchpin in their five-midfielder tactic, and Henrik Pedersen, their leading returning scorer. Tossing in another dynamic midfielder in Jay Jay Okocha, and you have to think Bolton won’t have nearly the problem scoring this season that they did last year. Back in the netm Juusi Jaaskelainen is one of the better goalkeepers in the league. The Bad: Even with a solid netminder, Bolton didn’t exactly light the world on fire on defense. They also made no moves to improve that defense. They are also not very deep on the backline, even going with a three-man line in their tactic. Still, if the defense can maintain last year’s pace, and their offense take the step forward that it seems ti might, the Wanderers likely won’t be on the edge of relegation this time around. MANCHESTER CITY Name: City Location: Manchester Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium Manager: Kevin Keegan 02-03 EPL Finish: 9th (15-6-17, 51 pts) GF: 47 (1.24 gpm) GA: 54 (1.42 gpm) Key Losses: SC Nicolas Anelka (Manchester United), MF Marc Vivien-Foe (passed away in June), CB Steve Howie (Leicester), WG Niclas Jensen (Dortmund), WG Ali Bernarbia (Al Rayyan), MF Kevin Horlock (West Ham), SC Shawn Goater (Reading) Key Additions: SC Antoine Sibierski (Lens), SC Trevor Sinclair (West Ham), MF Claudio Reyna (Sunderland), WG Steve McManaman, MF Paul Bosvelt Top Players: SC Antoine Sibierski (12 g), SC Robbie Fowler (4 g), MF Claudio Reyna, MF Paul Bosvelt, WG Shaun-Wright Phillips, FB Sun Jihai The Good: With the trasnfer of Nicolas Anelka, Man City returns to a more team-oriented approach. They have good deep groups among both the forwards and the midfielders. Antoine Sibierski could be a top scorer, and Robbie Fowler has been a scorer in the past. Claudio Reyna and Paul Bosvelt are both effective ball-moving midfielders. Wingback Sun Jihai is one of the better backline wings in the league. The Bad: You have to start with the obvious. The passing of the well-liked Marc Vivien-Foe in a Cameroon African Nations Cup match in June has dealt a heavy blow to the squad. Reyna and Bosvelt are significant additions to the midfield, but Foe’s loss is going to be felt deeply all season. In a sad way, Anelka’s loss is nearly as critical, if on a less cosmic and emotional scale. The explosive striker was City’s identity and a dominating scorer. The forward group still has the talent to produce, but they will all need to produce, especially with a group of midfielders not known to chip in with supporting goals. The defense could also use a lot of tightening up, and the loss of top centreback Steve Howie isn’t going to help matters. TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR Name: Cockerels Location: London Stadium: White Hart Lane Manager: David Pleat 02-03 EPL Finish: 10th (14-8-16, 50 pts) GF: 51 (1.34 gpm) GA: 62 (1.63 gpm) Key Losses: SC Teddy Sheringham (Portsmouth), WG Matthew Etherington (West Ham) Key Additions: SC Frederic Kanoute (West Ham), SC Helder Postiga (Porto), WG Simon Davies (5 g), WG Stéphane Dalmat (Inter loan), CB Mbulelo Mabizela (Orlando Pirates), FB Paul Konchesky (Charlton loan) Top Players: SC Robbie Keane (14 g), SC Frederic Kanoute (5 g), MF Darren Anderton, WG Stéphane Dalmat, CB Mbulelo Mabizelo (3 g), FB Paul Konchesky (3 g), GK Kasey Keller The Good: Robbie Keane is a premier scorer, and the Cockerels got him some help in Frederic Kanoute and Helder Postiga. They should make up for the departure of Teddy Sheringame. Simon Davies is the Cockerels’ best winger, and eh should be ably paired on the other side by Inter loan Stéphane Dalmat. The defense got an upsurge in talent with the additions of Mbulelo Mabizelo and Paul Konchesky. The Bad: The main problem with Tottenham last season was they weren’t a very good defensive team, and they still have two of those backline starters playing first team, in addition to goalkeeper Kasey Keller, who was not been particularly solid last year. Mabizelo and Konchesky help, but Mabizelo will be adjusting from South Africa’s Premier Division, and Konchesky is just a fullback. Darren Anderton and Jamie Redknapp are developing talents in the midfield, but they have yet to handle the full duties of being first team playmakers. (cont.) |
FRIDAY, August 15, 2003
Fighting Off Relegation ASTON VILLA Name: Villans Location: Birmingham Stadium: Villa Park Manager: David O’Leary 02-03 EPL Finish: 16th (12-9-17, 45 pts) GF: 42 (1.11 gpm) GA: 47 (1.24 gpm) Key Losses: CB Olof Mellberg (Chelsea), WG Hassan Kachloul (Wolverhampton loan), FB Steve Staunton (Coventry), GK Peter Encklemann (Blackburn loan) Key Additions: MC Gavin McCann (Sunderland), GK Thomas Sorenson (Sunderland) Top Players: SC Darius Vassell (8 g), MF Lee Hendrie (4 g), MF Gavin McCann, WG Peter Whittingham, MF Thomas Hitzlsperger, FB Gareth Barry (3 g), CB Ronny Johnsen, FB J’Lloyd Samuel The Good: There aren’t any out and out stars here, but Darius Vassell and fellow striker starter Juan Pablo Angel are capable of better. If they can return to form, that would go a long way to improving Villa’s 42 goals scored, among the worst totals in the league. Lee Hendrie returns to headline the midfield, although there have been some changes around him. Gavin McCann was brought in to start beside Hendrie, and his arrival may push former starter Thomas Hitzlsperger to the wing. All eyes, though, will be on winger Peter Whittingham, who has the talent to become a star winger. He also has the pressure of replacing Hassan Kachloul, who, for all his attitude, was a player that could make something happen on the pitch. But it will likely be an addition by subtraction situation. The Bad: The backline absorbed a big hit when strong centreback Olof Mellberg was sent to Chelsea. His loss and the fact that former Sunderland keeper Thomas Sorenson will be adjusting to a new team is likely going to hurt a defense that fared pretty well last year. There is also a significant reliance on Vassell and Angel to provide scoring for a team that is otherwise not too strong in the department. That might be a little too much to ask. Also, youth runs throughout the roster, especially at wing, and as will happen with youth, there will be mistakes as they learn on the pitch through tial-and-error. CHARLTON ATHLETIC Name:[/b] Addicks Location: London Stadium: The Valley Manager: Alan Curbishley 02-03 EPL Finish: 12th (14-7-17, 49 pts) GF: 45 (1.18 gpm) GA: 56 (1.47 gpm) Key Losses: FB Paul Konchesky (Tottenham loan) Key Additions: SC Carlton Cole (Chelsea loan), SC Paolo di Canio (West Ham), WG Matt Holland (Ipswich), CB Herman Hreidarsson (Ipswich) Top Players: SC Paolo di Canio (9 g), WG Claus Jensen (6 g), WG Jason Euell (10 g), CB Herman Hreidarsson, CB Richard Rufus, GK Dean Kiely The Good: For a team as low in the table as Charlton was, this side had a lot of effective midfielders, particularly on the wing. That kind of scoring ability from the midfield eases pressure up front.. Paolo di Canio could be a key addition. If he can do what he did last season with West Ham, but for a full season, he would rank among the top scorers in the league. Goalkeeper Dean Kiely is a steady netminder. The Bad: The Addicks don’t just hope di Canio is a top scorer, they need him to be. They have very few other options for putting up serious numbers. It’s saying something when you return both of your starting strikers from the season before, but you may have two completely new guys up front in di Canio and Carlton Cole. Hreidarsson is a solid addition in the center of the backline, but the defense wasn’t particularly solid either. Hurting things even more, the other centreback Richard Rufus will miss the first two months of the season with a knee injury. This isn’t a team that can afford to take a step back in defense, especially with the problems they have had scoring. FULHAM Name: Cottagers Location: London Stadium: Loftus Road Manager: Chris Coleman 02-03 EPL Finish: 14th (13-9-16, 48 pts) GF: 41 (1.08 gpm) GA: 50 (1.32 gpm) Key Losses: SC Steve Marlet (Marseille), WG Steed Malbranque (Real Madrid), MF Sean Davis (Newcastle), FB Steve Finnan (Liverpool), GK Maik Taylor (Birmingham) Key Additions: FB Jerome Bonnissel Top Players: SC Louis Saha (5 g), MF Sylvain Legwinski (4 g), MF Luis Boa Marte, WG Malik Buari, MF Zatyiah Knight, CB Alain Goma, FB Jerome Bonnissel The Good: Fulham is a young team with a lot of youthful talent in development. This is particularly evident in the midfield, where strong looking young players like Zatyiah Knight and Malik Buari will be getting their first real shots at first team spots. Saha has the ability to develop into a top scorer, and Elvis Hammond is another young striker who could turn out to be a big time performer. Fullback Jerome Bonnissel is a very solid wingback. The Bad: Saha and Hammond remain unproven up front, and for a side that was one of the worst offensive clubs in the Premiership, that is bad news. The midfield is heavy on playmakers, but doesn’t produce much in goals itself, which doesn’t figure to help the offense at all. Remember, this team scored just 41 goals when it had Newcastle midfielder Sean Davis and Real Madrid winger Steed Malbranque on the squad. Despite playing nine players in the midfield and defense, Fulham still gave up 50 goals. Bonnissel is a quality get, but the loss of Steve Finnan on the other side hurts. Goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar is in the spotlight after splitting time with Maik Taylor last year. With Taylor in Birmingham, it’s van der Sar’s unquestioned job for the first time. (cont.) |
FRIDAY, August 15, 2003
New Kids On The Block LEICESTER CITY Name: Foxes Location: Leicester Stadium: Walker Stadium Manager: Micky Adams 02-03 EPL Finish: First Division Promotion Key Losses: SC Brian Deane (West Ham), FB Alan Rogers (Wigan), SC Trevor Benjamin (Rushden loan), FB Gerry Taggart (Stoke City loan), WG Nicky Summerbee (Bradford City) Key Additions: SC Les Ferdinand (West Ham), SC Stanley Spencer (Detroit Bullets), MF Ricardo Scimeca (Nottingham Forest), WG Keith Gillespie (Blackburn), CB Ben Thatcher (Tottenham) Top Players: SC James Scowcraft (10 g), SC Stanley Spencer, MF Muzzy Izzet (4 g), MF Ricardo Scimeca (3 g), WG Keith Gillespie, FB Callum Davidson, CB Ben Thatcher, WG Jordan Stewart (4 g) The Good: The Foxes have taken some solid steps to move their roster forward to a Premiership level. James Scowcraft is a solid striker, and bringing in the talented Stanley Spencer could turn out to be a great move. Les Ferdinand lends Premiership experience to back them up. Muzzy Izzet and Ricardo Scimeca will have growing pains in the middle, but the side should be solid on the wing, where young Jordan Stewart could be a future star, and Blackburn transfer Keith Gillespie lends more experience. The acquisition of Ben Thatcher will help a lot on the backline. The Bad: Thatcher is going to need help back there, and the best guy to do it, fullback Callum Davidson, will be out for the first four months of the season. Until Scowcraft and Spencer start to score, they are unproven at this level, and Ferdinand hasn’t shown himself to be more than a mediocre talent. Three of the four midfielders have no Premiership experience, and Stewart is very young. Ian Walker in net is similarly untested. As usual, it’s going to be difficult to really assess this team until the season gets going. PORTSMOUTH Name: Pompey Location: Portsmouth Stadium: Fratton Park Manager: Harry Redknapp 02-03 EPL Finish: First Division Promotion Key Losses: SC Paul Merson (Walsall), FB Gianluca Festa (Cagliari) Key Additions: SC Teddy Sheringham (Tottenham), MC Alexei Smerten (Chelsea loan), DC Sebastian Schimmel (West Ham), FB Boris Zivkovic (Leverkusen), GK Pavel Srnicek (Consenza), WG Amdy Moustapha Faye Top Players: SC Svetoslav Todorov (26 g), SC Yakuba (22 g), SC Teddy Sheringham (12 g), WG Amdy Moustapha Faye, MF Alexei Smerten, WG Nigel Quashie (5 g), CB Linvoy Primus, FB Sebastian Schimmel, FB Matthew Taylor )7 g) The Good: The Pompey have done a good job of setting themselves up offensively. Even considering they racked up their goals against First Division squads, no one doubts that Svetoslav Todorov or Yakuba can score in the Premiership. Landing Tottenham’s top scorer in Teddy Sheringham lends additional quality depth. They also added Premiership level talent in Amdy Moustapha Faye on the wing, and Alexei Smerten in the middle. The popular Nigel Quashie will have to adjust to the top level, but he’s one of the few guys in the Pompey offense that would seem likely to have to adjust to the new league. On the backline, Linvoy Primus is a solid centreback, and fullback Matthew taylor is a good scorer from the backline. Once again, Boris Zivkovic and Sebastian Schimmel will help a lot with the transition. The Bad: To call the goaltending situation unsettled is a huge understatement. The leader for the number one jersey is Pavel Srnicek, whom Portsmouth plucked away from a non-league Italian club. He’s just ahead of Utrecht keeper Harold Wapenaar, and neither keeper came to Portsmouth to sit. Defense is always the hardest thing to get when you get promoted, and Portsmouth figures to lag a bit on the backline, especially with Taylor missing the first couple months of the season with a damaged achilles tendon. Right wing appears to be a big weakness as well. WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS Name: Wolves Location: Wolverhampton Stadium: Molineux Manager: Dave Jones 02-03 EPL Finish: First Division Promotion Key Losses: SC Dean Sturridge (Sheffield United loan), FB Mark Edworthy (Norwich) Key Additions: MC Silas (Leiria), SC Henri Camara (Sedan), WG Hassam Kachloul (Aston Villa loan), FB Oleg Luzhny (Arsenal) Top Players: SC Kenny Miller (19 g), SC Henri Camara (14 g), MC Silas (8 g), SC George NDah (7 g), WG Colin Cameron (7 g), CB Joleon Scott, FB Oleg Luzhny, GK Matt Murray The Good: When healthy, Kenny Miller and Henri Camara should give the Wolves a solid duo up front. They are also back with solid depth, including former starter George Ndah. Colin Cameron remains the team leader on the wing, and he and volatile Hassan Kachloul should both provide sparks on the sidelines. Midfielder Silas is the most offensively-minded midfielder and should see time all over the place. The backline is bolstered by the acquisition of well-regarded Oleg Luzhny on one wing, and the continued development of Joleon Scott in the middle. Keeper Matt Murray is the best of the goalkeepers on the promoted teams this season. The Bad: First off, the team is going through a ton of injuries. Among the down and out are top scorer Miller for two months, Ndah for four months amd Scott for three months. Those are three very critical players. Kachloul brings with him a notorious habit of upsetting his teammates. There are still players in Aston Villa that are talking bad about him. You can imagine what kind of reaction he is getting here. He’s a chemistry ticking time bomb. Luzhny is a nice addition, but with Scott hurt for three months, the defense is certain to suffer. |
FRIDAY, August 15, 2003
EPL Predictions, 2003-04 Season 1. Arsenal 2. Liverpool 3. Manchester United 4. Chelsea 5. Blackburn 6. Newcastle United 7. Everton 8. Southampton 9. Middlesbrough 10. Leeds United 11. Bolton Wanderers 12. Tottenham Hotspur 13. Birmingham City 14. Manchester City 15. Portsmouth 16. Fulham 17. Aston Villa <-------------relegation line-------------> 18. Wolverhampton Wanderers 19. Charlton Athletic 20. Leicester City |
Nice Preview, now the games really start to count ;)
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Dola-Fozzie Post:
Well, you got a lot to live up to, as the real life Boro just won the Carling Cup (League Cup), so they'll be in Europe next year. |
Yeah, I saw. Way to go, Boro! :)
I hope I can live up to that. CR |
SATURDAY, August 16, 2003
Middlesbrough Preview The grass is clipped. The lines are drawn. The hooligans are drunk. Football in merry old England returns for another season. Today, the Boro of Middlesbrough begin yet another quest for their first ever FA Barclaycard Premiership League title, a quest that has gone on now for over a century. The Boro will take on the Cockerels of Tottenham Hotspur at the Riverside Stadium this afternoon. Last season, the Boro did fairly well and were just in sight of playing in Europe. Can they take the next step this season? It will be up to new manager Matthew Kieta to see that that task is completed. The interim manager took over for Steve McLaren after the latter had to go on holiday to rehabilitate from an as yet undisclosed serious illness. Kieta, a heretofore unknown from the American collegiate leagues, has been lambasted by media and observers as unsuited for the position. The squad did little in the preseason to dispel those notions, going 3-3 against relatively sunstandard competition. But then, those are just friendlies. Kieta also didn't make any significant moves before just this past week. Fortunately, McLaren made some moves before departing, loaning Leeds' defender Danny Mills, Chelsea attacking midfielder Boudewijn "Bolo" Zenden, and Lazio's exciting Spanish midfielder Gaizka Mendieta. All three are expected to see major pitch time this season. McLaren also brought in Manchester City netminder Carlo Nash, who gave Mark Schwarzer strong competition for the number one jersey over the past month. Kieta did finally get going recently. He has brought in Juventus defender Salvatore Fresi and Wimbledon winger Lionel Morgan to shore up weak depth spots on the squad, and he is currently battling with Ajax for the rights to Chelsea striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink. Kieta did some learning of his own over the preseason. After trying to install a complicated five-tier tactic for much of the preseason, Kieta admitted failure for now when he switched to a simpler 4-4-2 with attacking elements. Bitter as that change might have been, the Boro won both of their last two preseason matches handily behind the tactic. Here's a position by position look at the team. FORWARDS Coming into the preseason, this area looked like a strength. Now there are a lot of questions. Young strikers Massimo Maccarone and Malcolm Christie looked like they would be the guys to take the Boro into new offensive heights--before an offseason in which they largely were undistinguished and even played poorly. Another young striker, Michael Ricketts, instead pushed himself into the mix, as did veteran Joseph-Désiré Job. Christie found himself trying out at right wing, and Maccarone spent the whole preseason looking over his shoulder. And now Kieta is pursuing Hasselbaink. "It has been a problem area," Kieta said. "These guys are capable of better than that. But I can't afford to sit around and wait. If there is one thing to take away from me, it's that I play the guys who play better, regardless of talent level." Kieta wouldn't say who would start today or for the early course of the season, and the preseason friendlies give little guess who might be up front. Maccarone seems likely, since he has started most of the matches with the first team, but Christie has seemingly disappeared from the forward rotation. It seems likely that Maccarone's partner will be either Job or Ricketts, with Szilard Németh around as well to take in a match or two. Christie, who will likely see more time on the right wing, could work his way back if the forwards don't play well. Another possible option is emotional leader and exciting playmaker Juninho. The Brazilian veteran has established himself as a top player with the Boro, but the midfield position seems fairly deep, and Juninho is far more suited for a forward position than in the midfield. Juninho missed much of last year to injury, acoring three goals while appearing in only ten matches. His absence was thought to have played a big role in the Boro's offensive problems last season, when they scored just 48 goals in 38 Premiership matches. WINGERS The wing has long been a troubled area of the squad, and that doesn't look to change much this season, with few players really stepping forward and taking a couple positions that were wide open to begin with. "I still have a lot of hope for the players we have on the wing," Kieta said. "We have some good players there. We just need to find the right combination." Kieta's wingers are responsibile for a little more than other wings, as he expects his wingers to play a primary role in moving the ball forward, as opposed to simply playing for the cross pass or heading into the penalty area to be on the receiving end of midfield and wingback passes. The whole preseason seemed to be a tryout on the wing. The first friendly starters were Zenden and Németh and neither had a good match. Since then, the right side has seen Christie and Mills and Greening, while the left side saw standout play from reserve Stuart Downing. And that might eb the story of the left wing this preseason, as the 19-year-old made a bid for first team play. Kieta confirmed Friday that Downing had indeed made the team and would play a lot on the left. Downing may get a lot of playing time early, but he has competition ont he way. The primary purpose for bring ing in Morgan from Wimbledon was to help on the wing, and Morgan's best position is on the left. The fast winger with good dribbling and crossing abilities is recuperating from a July injury in which he damaged knee cartilage, and should return to the pitch in early September. Zenden is also expected to see time on the left wing, as Kieta continues to try and find a role for the talented player. "Bolo has been kinda caught in the middle of our tactics switches," Kieta said. "He's a versatile player who can play the midfield, wingback, winger or up front. I still haven't even really decided where he should play for this squad, but he's too good to leave off the pitch for long." Zenden and Downing will liekly handle the position until Morgan returns, and then Zenden could see more time in the middle or even up front. On the right side, Christie was hit-and-miss. He played well in his first couple matches on the right, but his play tailed off later on in the preseason friendly fixture. Kieta said the position remains wide open. "Malcolm still has a long way to go over there," Kieta said. "It's not easy to just pick yourself up from one position you have always played and move over to another one, and that's what he is having to do right now." Christie is splitting time with Jonathon Greening, who might be better suited for the position, and Mills. Kieta said Friday, though, that Mills will be playing an attacking wingback position. Kieta also said Job might see time on the right on occasion. MIDFIELDERS This is an area that has many supporters excited. Mendieta has been an eye-opener in the midfield, and he did his best work in both Kieta's first tactic and the new 4-4-2. "He's just a premier playmaker," Kieta said. "I think it won't be long before all of England knows who Gaizka Mendieta is." Mendieta scored a goal and an assist and got a Man of the Match award in five preseason matches, none of which he played in for more than half of full time. He hurt his knee in the fifith match, but is healthy now and has been on the practice field for more than a week now. If Juninho isn't starting up front, it's obvious where he will be: right beside Mendieta in one very strong playmaking midfield. The two working together should drive the Boro offense. There is quality depth, too, with Doriva and Zenden around. Doriva has played well in the preseason and deserves to start himself. For Zenden, this is just another position at which he is capable of getting on the pitch. When the side needs more defensive play, expect to see a lot of George Boateng. The underrated steady defensive midfielder returns to the dirty work in the middle. If he isn't in the middle, Boateng will likely be playing a lot on the backline. WINGBACKS Kieta's announcement that Mills would be starting back here likely clears up another area that has been in adjustment the past couple weeks. Kieta's first tactic didn't even include the tactic, but the one they are running now has two positions. "I think Danny is excellent for this spot," Kieta said. "Our fullbacks will be expected to be a part of the offense as well, moving the ball forward and setting up deep crosses, as well as defending some of the great wings in this league. Mills is perfect for the position" Mills should be starting on the right side. Boateng and Fresi will probably serve as his primary backups. Fresi is also expected to see time at the left wingback spot. The left is a little more confused. Fresi is a possiblity, although he is more suited to the right and center. The natural left wingback on the roster is Franck Queudreu. Queudreu is a decent playmaker, but not as good defensively as a fullback is usually expected to be. Alan Wright and veteran Chris Cooper will also help at the position. They are both solid defensively, but won't provide much on offense. CENTREBACKS This is the area that really made the Boro tough defensively last year, allowing just 44 goals, one of the best figures in the Premiership. But the primary reason for that success is the main reason for conern this season. Ugo Ehiogu, the commanding center of Boro's defense, tore knee ligaments in his knee in May and won't return to the Boro's backline until January at the soonest. It will be critical for the squad to overcome his loss. Matters have been helped, though, by the emergence of Chris Riggott. Outside of perhaps Mendieta, there wasn't a player on the side who played better than the young centreback when presented with his shot at a starting role. "Chris was amazing," Kieta said. "He has played tall, really making a difference in the air. He has been great in positional defense and really reeb a presence back there. When Ugo comes back, it's going to be tough with all these great backs on the squad." Riggott's partner isn't a problem. That's where captain and veteran defender Gareth Southgate returns to his leading role in the team's defense. Southagte has started off slow in the preseason, but Kieta said he isn't concerned. "Gareth is a true pro," Kieta said. "He knows what it takes to get through a tough and long season. I don't doubt he will be there when the points are up." Fresi and Close seem likely to be the primary backups at the position, along with Boateng and Mills on occasion. GOALKEEPERS This position was the scene of an intriguing preseason battle for the first team spot between the popular incumbent starter Schwarzer and the Man City transfer Nash. Kieta announced aerlier in the week that Schwarzer won--the first match anyway. He said Schwarzer would start against Tottenham, but that there were no guarantees beyond that. "We're going to go with the hot goaltender," Kieta said Tuesday. "In hockey, when you have two good netminders, it's common for both to see a lot of playing time, and who plays is based on who's practicing and playing well. I see no reason why that can't apply here." He said Friday he planned to continue making that decision ona match-by-match basis. Neither Schwarzer nor Nash distinguished themselves above the other. Schwarzer was the man in net for the Boro's strong defensive performance last season, but many observers think Nash, who was a backup for City last season, is actually better. OUTLOOK The big question remains. Will this side score enough goals? Even with the loss of Ugo Ehiogu, most observers think the Boro will be fine defensively. But the issues up front have to cause concern for a team that didn't do so hot in that role last season. If the offense starts producing, though, the sky is the limit. This is a squad with the talent to get into Europe next season. And then there is Kieta himself. Will he ably lead this squad through the trials of a lengthy English football fixture, or will his own need to learn ont he job hinder the squad? At this point, the Boro remain one of the EPL's mysteries. And it's likely going to be a while before the supporters really know what this club, and its new manager, are made of. Boro Notes The Boro will be a part of the Carling Cup second round drawing today. Forty-eight English clubs from the Third Division and up to the bottom twelve Premier League sides in last season's standings will be involved in the draw. This is the first time the 12 EPL sides are included in the Carling Cup draw. They are joining the 36 winners from the first round. The second round will be played on September 23. |
SATURDAY, August 16, 2003
Tottenham at Middlesbrough When: 3:00 p.m. Where: Riverside Stadium Forecast: Dry 25º C Middlesbrough Out: DC Ugo Ehiogu, ML Allan Johnston, ML Lionel Morgan Tottenahm Out: SC Fred Kanoute, DC Gregg Berhalter Outlook: The Premiership opener for both clubs should be an eye-opener for both as well. The two sides have been roughly comparable in the predictions of most of the pundits. The Cockerels are led by striker Robbie Keane and winger Simon Davies. FA Barclaycard Premiership Game of the Round Manchester United at Arsenal The two English superpowers get together with a chance to make a statement about the early leader in the Premiership. The match, which will be played Sunday at Highbury Park, is also a rematch of the two clubs in the English Community Shield. Last week, Arsenal defeated Man U 2-1 at Millenium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales in English football's annual kickoff meeting between the winner of the Premier League and the FA Cup from the previous season. The Rest Of The Games Bolton at Aston Villa Birmingham at Blackburn Leicester at Chelsea Tottenham at Middlesbrough Charlton at Newcastle Fulham at Portsmouth Everton at Wolverhampton Leeds at Liverpool (Sunday) Southampton at Manchester City (Sunday) |
I must say I love the depth.
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Thanks, GE. Lots more coming from that way.
CR |
Awesome stuff Chief.
Particularly loved reading the preview, great work. Chelsea looks very frightening this year. |
Thanks, Calis. I like to go in-depth, but it's more rewarding to do that work when you know someone's actually reading it. :)
Chelsea is very frightening. It's just wrong to not only have that much money about, but to also use it. Funniest thing about it? Chel;sea probably has five or six guys out on loan, including Zenden, and they are all major players for the sides they went to. I'm talking Premiership sides here. Zenden and Birmingham's Forsell come to mind imemdiately, but there were others, too. Just scary. CR |
SUNDAY, August 16, 2003
Gaizka! Lazio Midfielder Dominates Tottenham With Two Goals In Debut MIDDLESBROUGH-- Saturday, the rest of the Premiership got a message: Gaizka Mendieta has arrived. In one of the more memorable and dimnating debuts in recent memory, Mendieta scored two of Middlesbrough's three scores in a 3-0 victory on a hot day in front of 32,719 fans at Riverside Stadium. The loanee from Italian power Lazio also got the assist on the third goal, an own goal by Cockerel's fullback Paul Konchesky, missed a penalty, and just missed a fifth shot that skirted over the crossbar. "I am just happy for the fans," Mendieta said via translation. "The Boro supporters deserve a winner. I am hoping to help make that dream come true." The 29-year-old Spaniard midfielder was off to a fast start. In the fourth minute, he blasted an in-swerve free kick into the right corner of the net from 25 yards out. A beauty of a shot, the ball curled high above Tottenham's wall from just outside the penalty area and just inside the rtight post, a moment before the Cockerels' keeper Kasey Keller could get there. The Boro received the freekick when defender Ledley King knocked down Middlesbrough forward Michael Ricketts as he was trying to receive a long pass from centreback Gareth Southgate. Mendieta went back to that same corner in the 22nd minute. Right fullback Danny Mills throw in a ball from the left touchline to striker Massimo Maccarone, just inside the outer left corner of the penalty area. Tottenham defender Mbulelo Mabizela beat Maccarone in the air and headed the ball back out toward the touch. Mills retrieved it and sent it on a short pass to angling winger Malcolm Christie. Under pressure, Christie flick-passed the ball on to Mendieta, who was about 30 yards out from the goal in the center of the pitch. The star of the day one-timed the shot, sending the ball flying past two Cockerels defenders and a frozen Keller for his second score of the day. "That was just a beauty of a kick," interim Boro manager Mattew Kieta said. "It was just perfectly placed. [Keller] never had a chance. It was too fast." The two early goals set up an exciting scene in the 31st minute when Tottenham fullback Stephen Carr slipped under a bounding Stuart Downing on an in-coming freekick from Southgate. The referee signalled for a penalty, w duty which fell to Mendieta Saturday, and giving the midfielder a chance at the hat trick on one of football's more exciting plays. Mendieta blasted a low hard shot, but it was just to Keller's left, and he fended it off up the goal line. Maccarone leaped on the loose ball and sent a centering pass back to left wingback Franck Queudreu, who immediately ditched it off to Downing, charging into the goal box from the right. Instead of looking for his shot, though, Downing sent the abll toward Juninho in the center of the penalty area. The pass bumped on through, and Konchesky cleared it to midfield and ending the scoring chance. Konchesky, as it turns out, would play a major part in the Boro's next scoring chance in the 36th minute. Middlesbrough received a corner kick after Carr dispossessed Downing on a nice run into the penalty area and sending the ball over the goal line. Christie's outward-swerving cross was headed by Mendieta toward the right post. Konchesky, amongst the mass of humanity placed near the goal for protection, tried to head the ball out, but misjudged it and watched in horror as his errant clear-out attempt shot back into the net past a stunned Keller. "It was just an unfortunate play," Konchesky said. "And the way things were going for Mendieta, you kinda had to expect it, too." Armed with a 3-0 lead, the Boro had all they needed to roll to an easy opening win in their FA Barclaycard Premiership fixture. Mendieta ended up taking six of the Boro's seven shots. Tottenham managed just one shot on goal, and four overall, as Mark Scwarzer picked up the clean sheet. Although Mendieta was the catalyst, the entire squad was involved in what was a dominating performance over the Cockerels. Christie and Ricketts each received an assist on one of Mendieta's goals. For Kieta, it was his first ever professional win in English football. "These guys have been practicing well," Kieta said of his side. "They deserved this today. Hopefully, we can carry it forward to Birmingham." The Boro play Birmingham City in Birmingham on Wednesday night. |
SUNDAY, August 17, 2003
Not All Is Rosey In Boro Land Despite Win, Kieta And Maccarone Spar In Media MIDDLESBROUGH-- Kieta was all smiles Saturday after his side defeated Tottenham handily, 3-0, at Riverside Stadium--except when the issue of striker Massimo Maccarone came up. "Massimo had a very poor match," Kieta said. "He is capable of better. I just don't think he's putting up the effort he needs to out there. He was horrible in the air. He didn't take a single shot, and he's our lead striker." Maccarone's performance was rated a four by ratings experts, and was pulled in the 60th minute for Joseph Désiré Job. Maccarone won just one aerial challenge in 18, was called for offsides, and was also called for a foul. As the manager noted, he didn't take a shot on goal, while midfielder Gaizka Mendieta took six. Kieta said the subpar performance was the Italian striker's third in his past seven appearances, including friendlies against Alverca and Brechin City last month. In the six friendlies, the soon-to-be-24-year-old forward put up a 6.33 rating. Kieta said he was going to have to warn Maccarone to start playing better. "I'm going to have to have a sit down with Massimo, and see if we can work something out," Kieta said. "If he can't step it up and play better, I'm going to have to consider other options at the position." Some would say Kieta is already heavy into those other considerations. The club has been linked in reports to a move on Chelsea striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbanik. Last week, Chelsea agreed to transfer deals with both Middlesbrough and Dutch power Ajax. The veteran striker is currently considering contract offers from both clubs. Hasselbaink started for Chelsea last season, scoring 11 goals in 36 matches, but he has been demoted to the reserves by a series of high-profile transfers by the club this past offseason. Maccarone was understandably less than pleased about the manager's words. "This is bull," Maccarone angrily told reporters. "I had a bad day. These things happen. I don't think it's fair I have been singled out this way." Maccarone said he didn't think this would happen under past manager Steve McLaren, whom Kieta replaced after the former had to go on holiday with an undisclosed serious illness in July. "Steve showed us respect," Maccarone said. "What Kieta is doing, this isn't respectful. I don't deserve to be treated this way." Maccarone said he may have to consider his situation with Middlesbrough. "Right now, I don't know if I can continue playing here if this is how things are going to be done," the striker said. "I'm going to have to consider my options." Maccarone led the Boro with nine goals last season, his first with the club. He scored 26 goals in two seasons with Italian club Empoli before that. He is thought to be a young player with high-end potential. Boro Draw Sheffield United In Carling Cup While the Boro were manhandling Tottenham, the drawing for the second round of the Carling Cup was held Saturday. Middlesbrough will play First Division side Sheffield United at Bramall Lane in Sheffield on September 23. The Carling Cup is an England-only competition involving all league teams. The Boro were just one of 12 Premiership sides that were included in the draw, along with the 36 winners from the first round. The remaining Premiership sides, the top eight from last season's standings, get byes into the third round of the competition. Downing Hurt Middlesbrough left winger Stuart Downing may be out for a couple weeks, the club's top physio Grant Downie said after the match Saturday. Downing sprained his ankle in the Boro's 3-0 win. He stayed in the game, but the ankle swelled up in the locker room afterward. Downing went down in the 35th minute, courtesy of a Simon Davies trip that got the Tottenham winger carded a yellow. With Lionel Morgan also out for the rest of the month, the left wing spot will be a little light in the mean time. The likely starter will be Chelsea loan Boudewijn Zenden. |
SUNDAY, August 17, 2003
FA Barclaycard Action Recap Aston Villa 3, Bolton 1 Two late goals by Marcus Allback clinched this one for the Villans after it looked like it would end up a scoreless draw. The first goal of the match, played at Villa Park in Birmingham, wasn't scored until Darius Vassell got a goal in the 77th minute. Allback put the Villans up 2-0, and scored again to put it away after Bolton got an own goal from Villa's goalkeeper Thomas Sorenson. Villa dominated the match, with 14 shots on goal to just four by Bolton. Birmingham 3, Blackburn 2 Birmingham City pulled off a big road upset over Blackburn when Stern John got a big score in the final seconds of the match. The Rovers had overcome an early 2-0 deficit to tie it up 2-2 before along John's winning goal in the 90th minute. Both early Blues goals were scored by striker Clinton Morrison. Blackburn got goals from defender Lucas Neill and striker Andrew Cole. Chelsea 3, Leicester 1 The Blues of Chelsea greeted new Premiership side Leicester roughly Saturday, stomping them at Stamford Bridge in London. Chelsea got goals from midfielder Claude Makélélé, defender John Terry and striker Eidur Gudjohnsen to take a 3-0 lead. Striker James Scowcraft scored for the Foxes in the 79th minute to break up Carlos Cudicini's clean sheet. Middlesbrough 3, Tottenham 0 Boro midfielder Gaizka Mendieta dominated the Cockerels at Riverside Stadium in Middlesbrough Saturday. He scored two goals in his debut with the Boro, and got an assist on an own goal by Tottenham fullback Paul Konchesky. Mark Schwarzer picked up the clean sheet. Newcastle 3, Charlton 2 The Magpies used a string of three goals in the middle of the match to overcome an early deficit and late comeback by the Addicks at St. James Park in Newcastle. Forwards Darren Ambrose and Craig Bellamy both scored just before halftime to put the Magpies up 2-1, and then forward Lomana LuaLua scored in the second minute of the second half to put it away. Charlton got scores from defender Gary Rowett and striker Carlton Cole, the latter of which brought the Foxes to within one. Portsmouth 2, Fulham 0 The Pompey played tight defense and goalkeeper Pavel Srnicek got the clean sheet after facing just six shots from the visiting Cottagers. Fulham was lucky to have the match stay close after the Pompey bombarded Fulham keeper Edwin van der Ser with 14 shots, 12 on goal, in Portsmouth's Premiership debut. Both Pompey goals were scored by striker Svetoslav Todorov in the second half. Wolverhampton 1, Everton 1 The Blues of Everton were left to wonder what might have been after midfielder Thomas Gravesen missed a penalty in the 4th minute. The match in Wolverhampton would stay scoreless well into the second half before Wolves' striker Jimmi-Lee Jones scored to give the hosts a 1-0 lead. It was short-lived, though, as the Blues' star young striker Wayne Rooney blasted int he equalizer in the 71st minute. Injuries & Suspensions Boro winger Stuart Downing suffered a sprained ankle against Tottenham and will miss two weeks. The rest of the injuries in Saturday's action were day-to-day. No one was booted Saturday. Today's Matches Manchester United at Arsenal Leeds United at Liverpool Southampton at Manchester City |
MONDAY, August 18, 2003
Hasselbaink Goes Dutch Striker Turned Down Offer From Boro To Go To Ajax LONDON-- Chelsea striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink ended days of speculation Sunday when he agreed to a new contract with Dutch power Ajax. The Dutch striker rejected a similar offer from Middlesbrough. Hasselbaink, 31, signed a £1.2 M per season contract through the 2004-05 season, completing a £1 M conditional transfer to Chelsea. "Ajax is one of the top clubs in the world," Hasselbaink. "It was an opportunity I just couldn't pass up." Hasselbaink said he had nothing but good things to say about interim Boro manager Matthew Kieta and the club's entreaties to the 31-year-old veteran scorer. "They are a good club going in the right direction," Hasselbaink said. "If I didn't feel Ajax was so right for me, I would have enjoyed playing in Riverside Stadium." Hasselbaink scored 11 goals in 36 matches for Chelsea last season. Because of a string of high-profile transfers by the rich club, though, Hasselbaink was looking at a reserve spot before Chelsea decided to place him on the transfer list. Prior to last season, Hasselbaink was one of the top forwards in the Premiership, scoring 20 or more goals in both 2000-01 and 2001-02 for the Blues. He also scored 34 goals in two seasons for Leeds United from 1997-99. Kieta said he was disappointed in the striker's decision but that he understood why he made the choice he did. "He's back among people of the same heritage as him, and he gots to play for one of the best clubs in the world," Kieta said. "It's a good move for him." Kieta said the Boro offer to Hasselbaink was comparable to the one he accepted from Ajax, but would not get into specifics. Losing out on Hasselbaink introduces a new wrinkle into Kieta's plans to upgrade the talent at Riverside Stadium. Kieta may not be able to get another striker in before the European transfer window closes on August 31. That could be particularly painful considering Kieta and lead Boro striker Massimo Maccarone had a falling out Saturday after the manager criticized Maccarone's effort in the Boro's 3-0 win over Tottenham. Maccarone said Saturday he is considering his options on whether to request to leave the club because of Saturday's incident, although it will likely be just as difficult to move Maccarone out before the transfer window closes as it will be to bring someone new in. Kieta refused to comment Sunday on what he would do if Maccarone demanded to leave the club, or what targets he might have in mind to go after in the wake of losing Hasselbaink. Boro Under-19's Fall To Morecambe The Middlesbrough Under-19ss lost their season opener Sunday to the Morecambe Under-19's 3-1. Forward Niklas Nordgren, 18, got the Boro off to a good start with a goal in the 16th minute, but it wasn't enough to stave off the hometown squad at Christie Park. Morecambe striker Garry Hunter scored in the 45th minute and 60th minute to give them the lead, and then James Appleyard shut it down for a good with a clincher in the 81st minute. Nordgren was by far the most impressive player on the pitch for the young Boro. |
MONDAY, August 18, 2003
FA Barclaycard Action Recap Arsenal 2, Manchester United 0 The Gunners won a tight defensive duel at Highbury Sunday, defeating the Red Devils for the second time in eight days in a match which yielded just nine total shots. Forward Kanu broke through United's defenses late in the first half to score two quick goals in the 35th and 41st minutes. The tone-setting win by Arsenal comes just over a week after these same two clubs met for the English Community Shield. The Gunners won that match, 2-1. Leeds United 2, Liverpool 1 Who's selling all their top players? United pulled off perhaps the upset of the weekend when they went into Anfield and came away with a tough victory over the Reds and former Leeds star winger Harry Kewell. Liverpool broke a tight scoreless match in the 63rd minute when star striker Michael Owen got his first goal. Leeds was quick to respond, though, as striker Alan Smith tied it up again at the 69th minute. It looked like the match would go to a draw until star Leeds striker Mark Viduka stunned the Anfield crowd by scoring with just seconds left in the match to give the road squad a shocking upset victory. Southampton 2, Manchester City 1 City found it could only score goals on Sunday on penalties and on own goals--and the latter go to the Saints. Manchester City striker Antoine Sibierski scored a penalty to give the home side an early lead in the fifth minute, but they promptly gave it back int he 15th minute when City keeper Nicky Weaver inadvertently knocked the ball back into his own net for the equaliser. Still, it seemed headed to a draw before Saints' star striker James Beattie finally managed to get past Weaver in the 83rd minute to clinch a big road win for Southampton. Injuries & Suspensions There were no major injuries or suspensions in Sunday's action. |
MONDAY, August 18, 2003
It's Done: Lúcio To Newcastle NEWCASTLE-- Star defender Lúcio is finally on his way to the Magpies after his second application for a work permit was approved by the English Football Association on Sunday. The addition of the versatile scoring backliner essentially solves Newcastle's lack of star power among its defensive crew and turns the Magpies into a much more dangerous club. Newcastle negotiated the transfer of the 25-year-old Brazilian centreback from Leverkusen of the Bundesliga last month, but Lúcio's first application for a work permit, as is required of all non-European Union players moving to the English leagues, was denied on August 3. Lúcio, a veteran of 29 matches with his homeland Brazil's powerful national side, scored three goals in 21 matches last season with Leverkusen. He scored an unorthodox 12 goals as a defender for the German power in three seasons. "I am so happy to finally be here," the defender said told gathered fans through an interpreter at a rally at St. James Park. "I want to get to work, to repay you all for your enthusiasm and to bring the Premiership trophy to Newcastle." The Magpies paid Leverkusen a handsome £10.5 M transfer fee for the world-class defender, above and beyond the £1.6 M, three-year deal they inked Lúcio to on Sunday. "I think we can really match up well with the top sides in this league," Newcastle's ancient manager Bobby Robson said. "I thought we were good enough before, but this really puts us up even higher." Lúcio appeared in two early matches for Leverkusen before his transfer, averaging seven tackles and a 7.50 rating, but going scoreless. Other English Football Notes The Pompey of Portsmouth have loaned out Welsh veteran midfielder Carl Robinson to former Premiership side West Bromich Albion on Sunday. The 26-year-old will remain with the First Division side for three months. This is Robinson's third loan out in two seasons. Last season, he had stints with both First Division Walsall and Second Division Sheffield Wednesday. He appeared in 11 matches, with one goal, for Walsall, and in four matches and one goal with Sheffield Wednesday. He also appeared in 15 matches for Portsmouth--also First Division at the time--and going scoreless. |
Got to say, I'm glad you lost out on the race for Hasselbaink. I'm not a fan. ;)
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Go you Boro!!!
Chelsea scare the hell out of me too. |
Calis: To be honest, by the time I lost out on him, I was kinda hoping I would, too. He was the best I found early on, but I wasn't always looking in the right places. I have little enough transfer funds as it is.
Keep reading guys. :) CR |
TUESDAY, August 19, 2003
Maccarone, Juninho Unsettled Over Future Of Club MIDDLESBROUGH-- Monday morning, striker Massimo Maccarone said he would welcome a chance to move clubs, but he would not demand it. The Boro forward is still upset over comments interim manager Matthew Kieta made to reporters about Maccarone's performance Saturday and in preseason friendlies. "I am uncomfortable with the environment [Kieta] has put in place with this club," Maccarone said. "I will continue to play and play hard for the fans as long as I am here, but I am not making it a secret I would like to leave the club." The 23-year-old said Kieta had yet to apologize for his remarks Saturday. Kieta was critical of Maccarone's effort after the striker won just one header in 18 aerial challenges, and didn't take a single shot on goal in the Boro's 3-0 win over Tottenham at Riverside Stadium. The manager also said Maccarone had had two other such performances int he preseason, and suggested he would need to play better to stay with the first eleven. Kieta refused to comment on Maccarone's announcement Monday. That was not the case with emotional leader Juninho though. The midfielder that he was concerned the public fight could hurt club chemistry, and that he also feared that the club itself would not be able to continue to compete for the Premiership crown with finances as they are. "We have a good side here," Juninho said. "We need to keep these guys together. Look at what Gaizka did. Do we have the funds to keep a guy like that here when his loan is up? I doubt it." Juninho said he didn't think the club could compete if it had to start selling off its top players. Chairman Steve Gibson acknowledged the club does not have the resources of Manchester United or Arsenal or Chelsea, some of the richest clubs in the world, but he said the Brazilian midfielder was just being an alarmist. "We'll keep the guys we need to keep," Gibson said Monday. "If we get a good group of guys here, I am prepared to keep them here and see what they can do." Gibson made roughly £5 M available to Kieta in the transfer market, and promised that three-fourths of transfer fees gained by selling off players would likewise be moved over to transfer funds. After bringing in three younger prospects from First Division Wimbledon and veteran fullback Salvatore Fresi from Juventus, the manager has about £3.5 M left to play with this season. |
WEDNESDAY, August 20, 2003
Boro Still Exploring Striker Options MIDDLESBROUGH-- Interim Boro manager Matthew Kieta said he was continuing to look at bringing in a lead striker before the transfer deadline passes on August 31. The manager addressed the striker issue and his recent sparring with striker Massimo Maccarone at his weekly preess conference Tuesday, among other issues. Middlesbrough lost out in an attempt to bring in Chelsea striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink on Sunday. Hasselbaink decided to sign with Dutch power Ajax instead of moving to the Boro. "We're keeping our eyes out," Kieta said. "Expect more offers. Will we get something done in time? Hard to say. But we're looking." Kieta has been searching for a frontline scorer since the end of the club's preseason fixture. None of the Boro's forward options clearly established their positions in the first eleven with consistent play up front. That search becam e a motivated one Monday when a public spat between the manager and Maccarone led to the striker to say he would "welcome leaving the club." "I feel the same way now that I did Saturday," Kieta said. "We need Massimo to stay in top form. He's quite capable when he's on his game, but lately he hasn't been." Kieta said he has no intention to allow Maccarone to leave the club at the moment. "He's angry at me right now, and I understand that," Kieta said. "But I know he can help this club. I'm not going to make any rash decisions with a player with talent like Maccarone has." Kieta said the mood in the engine room remained high after Saturday's strong win over Tottenham. "It was a good start to the season," Kieta said. "I am hoping we can build on it with good play tomorrow in Birmingham." The Boro will play their first road match tonight at St. Andrews. Boro Reserves Handle Everton Easily Middlesbrough's reserves had pretty much as easy a time with Everton's second team as the first team did with Tottenham Saturday. The Boro reserves beat Evrton 3-0 at Haig Avenue in Southport on Tuesday, jumping out to an early lead and never letting up. Striker Danny Graham and forward Craig Dove both scored in the first 30 minutes of the match, and the Boro went into halftime with a 2-0 lead. Fullback Peter Masters got the third goal with a penalty in the 48th minute. Former Wimbledon defensive midfielder Dean Lewington made his debut in the match, his first since he was transferred to Middlesbrough earlier this month. Lewington played well, assistant manager Steve Harrison said. Lewington did have to leave the pitch with a shin bruise in the 85th minute, but it's not expected to keep him out of any practice or future matches. English Football Notes Aston Villa came to a future transfer agreement for Korean defensive midfielder Kim Nam-Il on Tuesday. The Villans have signed away the midfielder on a free from Chunnam, currently leading the Korean K-League, but the transfer won't officially go through until January 1, 2004. The 26-year-old is a veteran of 42 international matches for South Korea. He had four goals and five assists in 26 appearances for Chunnam this past season. He also played in seven matches on loan with Dutch First Division side Excelsior, going scoreless. |
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I'm sad that you left out Freddie in favour of Wiltord and Lauren in your preview, though. :) Maybe you can loan in Jeremie Aliadiere from the Gunners so I can have someone to follow and cheer on! Woodgate-Lúcio should make for a strong central defense for NUFC. |
WEDNESDAY, August 20, 2003
Middlesbrough at Birmingham When: 7:30 p.m. Where: St. Andrews, Birmingham Forecast: 10º C Middlesbrough Out: DC Ugo Ehiogu, ML Allan Johnston, ML Lionel Morgan, ML Stuart Downing Birmingham Out: None Outlook: The Blues pulled off an impressive road victory over Blackburn, a club that has been picked by many to finish in the top six of the Premiership this season, beating them 302 in the season oepner for both clubs. Striker Stern John scored a 90th minute goal to stun the Rovers. John's frontline partner Clint Morrison scored both of the Blues' other goals. The Boro are coming off of a strong home win over Tottenham. Midfielder Gaizka Mendieta dominated the match, with two goals and an assist in the 3-0 win. FA Barclaycard Premiership Game of the Round Arsenal at Southampton Arsenal set the tone with two straight victories over fellow superpower Manchester United, including a 2-0 win in their home opener Sunday. Now the Gunners will play another team expected to be in the top ten mix in the Premiership this season in Southampton. The Saints beat Manchester City, 2-1, in Manchester Sunday. Kanu led the way for Arsenal, scoring both goals against United. Southampton won on an 83rd minute score by star striker James Beattie. The Rest of the Matches Middlesbrough at Birmingham Chelsea at Bolton Wolverhampton at Charlton Portsmouth at Everton Blackburn at Fulham Newcastle at Leeds Liverpool at Leicester Aston Villa at Manchester United Manchester City at Tottenham |
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Gunner fan, eh? Yeah, there are so many good players on Arsenal, it's easy to leave out a few. Ljungberg is going to have a fine season as well, I'm sure. It was tough to tell whether he or Wiltord started a lot on the right, and I don't know enough about English football in real life to automatically figure it out myself (although I am learning...). Funny you should mention Aliadere...;) I think Lucio could be the missing link for Newcastle. They could be very good with him back there. I agree, Woodgate-Lucio is a great pairing in front of the net. Arsenal looks like the team to beat, though, just like in real life. They just have ridiculous talent. CR |
THURSDAY, August 21, 2003
Boro Drop First Road Match Birmingham Scores Two Second Half Goals to Win, 3-1 BIRMINGHAM-- For the second straight game, Birmingham won with two goals by striker Clinton Morrison and a late clinching goal by forward Stern John. The Blues performed the scoring chart repetition Wednesday when they defeated Middlesbroough, 3-1, in front of 28,162 at St. Andrews in Birmingham. The Blues won in similar fashion against Blackburn Saturday. Birmingham jumped to the early lead in the 22nd minute. Goalkeeper Maik Taylor initiated the play with a sharp long kick up to winger Christophe Duggary near the right touchline at the centerline. Duggary turned and lofted a pass toward striker Mikaell Forsell, whom had slipped behind Boro defender Chris Riggott and was headed for the goal line. With all attention on Forsell, Clinton Morrison was able to get a step into the prime target area in front of the goal. Forsell sent a low centering pass to Morrison. Morrison intercepted the pass and half-volleyed a blast right past Boro keeper Mark Schwarzer, who appeared to misjudge the shot direction. Despite the rough start, it was the Boro that had the best chances in the first half, ending the half with nine shots to the Blues' seven. Their work was finally rewarded in the 40th minute when striker Massimo Maccarone got some redemption with his first score of the season. Interim manager Matthew Kieta criticized Maccarone for his lackluster effort and performance in the Boro's match against Tottenham Saturday. After a breakaway in which fellow forward Joseph-Désiré Job missed an easy opportunity at a goal, the Boro received a corner. Winger Boudewijn Zenden, starting in place of injured winger Stuart Downing, sent an in-swerving cross toward the near post. Forsell attempted to clear the ball out with a header, but misjudged the play. Maccarone just outside the box in the penalty area, got up in the air for the ball and headed it sharply into the left corner, just passed Birmingham defender Kenny Cunningham and a frozen Taylor. The equaliser and the impressive effort on the part of the team gave the Boro the momentum as they entered the lockerrom at halftime. Kieta would take the blame for what happened next. "I switched tactics," Kieta said. "I went to a more defensive one-four-five, in the hopes of protecting our goal for the draw, which I understand is very desirable on the road in this tough league. It turned out to be a mistake." And that's an understatement. The Blues came forward hard in the second half after they weren;t forced to deal with the Boro's strong attack from the first half. Morrison got his second goal in the 60th minute to put the Blues ahead for good. Cunningham received a half-pitch-length goal kick from Schwarzer near the right touchline. He sent a short centering pass to midfielder David Dunn. Dunn went on a strong run toward the penalty area, angling out toward the edge and drawing pressure from Job. Unfortunately for Boro fans, it also drew the attention of Salvatore Fresi, who was helping Gareth Southgate mark Morrison int he penalty area. Fresi stepped forward to intercept Dunn, allowing Morrison to get a small step to the goal line on Southgate. Dunn slipped a through pass to Morrison who struck a sharp-angle shot at the far post. Schwarzer intercepted the shot, but the blast caromed off of him and into the net for Morrison's second goal of the match, and a 2-1 Birmingham lead. Kieta switched back to the Boro's standard 4-4-2 attack soon after, but the damage was done. John would add his goal in the 81st minute to clinch it, an impressive bit of work in which John received a centering cross from Morrison and then proceeded to test Schwarzer on two straight shots before finally putting in the second rebound for the score. Kieta said that last goal frustrated him the most. "It was a one-goal match," Kieta said. "We were still in that one. There is absolutely no reason for their striker to be in that box unmolested by our defense. To get even one rebound off of your own shot is bad enough, but two? I feel sorry for Schwarzer. He deserved better on that play after making two great saves." Boro defenders George Boateng and Chris Mills were closest to the striker when the goal-box exchange took place. The second half numbers bore out the change in tactics. The Blues outshot the Boro 10-1 in the half, finsihing with a 17-10 edge. They spent much of the day in Middlesbrough's defensive third, particularly int he second half. Kieta said the only thing he really liked about the match was Maccarone's goal. "It was nice to see Massimo really play hard today," Kieta said. "He earned that goal the hard way. He took two shots today. He played with energy. That's the Maccarone I heard about before I came here [to Middlesbrough]." Birmingham played a particularly brutal physical match with the Boro, inflicting 13 fouls and drawing three yellow cards. No one was hurt for either side, though. The Boro are off until Monday, when they get a marquee primetime matchup with Fulham at Riverside Stadium. Gulliver Breaks Ankle, Out Four Months Boro reserve defender Phil Gulliver broke his ankle in training Wednesday. The centreback was particpating in a Shadow exercise when he took a misstep and his ankle collapsed under his weight. The 20-year-old will be out of action until January. He started in the reserves' win over Everton Tuesday, collecting 3 tackles and a 6 rating. As with the rest of the reserve squad, it was his only appearance so far this season. Football Notes French La Ligue One power Auxerre has signed on some scoring help to partly replace the talents of departed striker Djibril Cissé, whom they sold to Chelsea last month. The French club signed American forward Damarcus Beasley away from Major League Soccer's Chicago Fire for £3.6 M. The 21-year-old American star forward and winger has already established himself as one of the best players for the United States national team, for whom he already has 21 appearances. Beasley has scored three goals in international competition. He signed a three-year, £375,000 per annum contract with the French side. Auxerre will have to wait for another month to try out their new acquisition, however. Beasley broke his jaw in the United States' 2-0 victory over Mexico in the Gold Cup on July 20, and is expected to be out well into September. |
Too bad about Hasselbaink! Take a look at Celtic's Henrik Larsson instead, his contract will be up in 2004.
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If you signed Larsson, that would catapult this to my favorite dynasty of all time. :) Usually he gets transferred before the contract ends from everything I've seen though. |
Larrson?!? Dare I dream? That guy's a great scorer.
I didn't know his contract would be up, so I will definitely shortlist him and keep an eye out. He probably won't be transferred before his contract is up, unless a future transfer is done (which is also quite possible). The window for this transfer round is almost over. But I can't imagine the little ole Boro could sneak in there to get that guy with sides like Man U and Arsenal and Chelsea throwing their weight around. But we'll see. I already know I can't afford him in transfer right now. I would almsot certainly have to wait for the Bosman window. CR |
THURSDAY, August 21, 2003
FA Barclaycard Action Recap Birmingham 3, Middlesbrough 1 The Blues got another two goals from striker Clinton Morrison, giving him four goals on the early season, and pulled away from what had been a tight match at halftime with two second-hald goals at St. Andrews in Birmingham. Morrison scored his second goal and fellow forward Stern John scored the clincher late in the match. Striker Massimo Maccarone scored for the Boro. The match would have been a fun one to watch, with 27 shots, 19 fouls and four yellow cards between the two sides. Morrison's two goals garnered him the Man of the Match. Bolton 2, Chelsea 1 The Wanderers let one of the league powers know they weren't going to let themselves get pushed around at home. Defensive midfielder Kevin Nolan scored in the 86th minute to break a tight 1-1 match and give Bolton the victory at their home Reebok Stadium. The Blues fell down early when the Wanderers' striker Jardel got his first ever Premiership goal int he 23rd mintue, but they notched it up when striker Hernan Crespo scored his first ever Premiership goal as well at the 40th minute. Bolton, won by the skin of their teeth, though--Chelsea had no less than 19 shots to Bolton's four. If the Blues were more on target--just eight of the shots were on goal--this match might have been completely different. Crespo got the Man of the Match in a losing effort. Charlton 3, Wolverhampton 1 Penalties tend to be rare, so when the same striker gets to shoot two in one match, it's a notable occurrence. The Addicks' striker Paolo di Canio hit one in the 48th mintue, but failed in his second attempt in the 76th minute. The miss could have been critical, with Charlton just up 2-1 at the time, but two minutes later forward Kevin Lisbie put it away for good. The Addicks also got an early goal from defender Luke Young in the 17th minute. The Wolves' lone score came from striker Henri Camara in the 55th minute. The match was a particularly painful one for the visiting Wolves. Striker Steffen Iversen (thigh bruise) and defensive midfielder Paul Ince (stubbed toe) had to leave the pitch for medical reasons. Charlton fullback David Powell received the Man of the Match with 18 headers and five interceptions. Everton 2, Portsmouth 0 Pompey keeper Shaka Hislop and Everton netminder Nigel Martyn wre engaged in a taut , scoreless defensive match when Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp pulled Hislop in the 60th minute. It was bad move, as a cold Pavel Srnicek shortly gave up the decxiding goal to midfielder Thomas Gravesen in the 68th minute. Striker Francis Jeffers clinched it with a 90th minute score, and Martyn held up for the clean sheet ina very competitive match at Goodison Park. Everton defender got the Man of the Match, with 12 headers and nine interceptions. Blackburn 3, Fulham 1 Just a few days after losing on their own home turf, the Rovers went to Fulham's Loftus Road and took away a road win with strong form. Striker Dwight Yorke put Blackburn up early with two first half scores. Veteran striker Andrew Cole put the Rovers up three goals with a score in the 52nd minute. A 66th minute goal by midfielder Sylvain Legwinski ruined Blackburn keeper Brad Freidel's attempt at a clean sheet. Cole took seven shots and drew five fouls to steal away the Man of the Match from Yorke. Newcastle 2, Leeds 0 Striker Alan Shearer got the Magpies off to the right start when he scored in just the fourth minute. A strong defense led by debuting centreback Lucio limited the home side Unied to just six shots. Meanwhile, the Magpies peppered Leeds' keeper Paul Robinson with 22 shots, 13 on target. It's a credit to Robisnon that he kept it close. Defender Titus Bramble got the only other score in the 74th minute. The Magpies didn't escape Elland Road unscathed, though. Forward Lomana LuaLua went down in the 34th minute with a torn groin muscle. The Man of the Match went to LuaLua's replacement, Shola Ameobi, who didn't score, but put six shots on goal and drew three fouls. Liverpool 2, Leicester 0 The Reds recovered from their stunning home loss to Leeds to beat new Premiership side Leicester on the road. It might not have been too difficult, however, after defender Riccardo Scimeca went in two-footed on midfielder Danny Murphy while on a run. Scimeca was sent off in the 7th minute, putting the hometown Foxes at a one-man disadvantage for most of the match. The Reds outshot Leicester 14-4, and had the lead for most of the match after striker Michael Owen scored in the 15th minute. Still, they didn't put it away until midfielder Anthony Le Tallec scored in the 90th minute. Liverpool centreback Sami Hyypla was dominating on defense, with 26 headers, 4 interceptions and a tackle, to get the Man of the Match. Manchester United 3, Aston Villa 0 The Red Devils got things going back in the right direction when they shut out the Villans at Old Trafford. The win was Man U's first this season and followed two straight losses to fellow superpower Arsenal, in the Community Shield and in the Gunners' home opener Saturday. Villa managed just three shots--and none of them on goal--against the Red Devils' tight defense. Star strikers Ruud Van Nistlerooy and Nicolas Anelka combined for three goals to lead the way. Nistlerooy picked up scores int he 30th and 74th minutes, while Anelka, who was also named the Man of the Match, got his in the 57th minute. Arsenal 3, Southampton 1 The Gunners continued their strong start to the year by handily beating a well-regarded league opponent on the road Wednesday. The Saints were outshot 11-4 at home, as Arsenal pulled away in the second half. Forward Kanu scored the go-ahead with his third goal of the season in the 52nd minute, while winger Silvain Wiltord moved out of reach with his goal in the 56th minute. In the first half, the two sides traded goals, with winger Robert Pires of Arsenal, being matched by Saints' striker James Beattie. Kanu got the Man of the Match, and Saints keeper Antti Niemi had a particularly bad match. Tottenham 1, Manchester City 1 The Cockerels had to fight through injuries and an early deficit to earn the home draw Wednesday. City got up early with a 26th minute score by forward Trevor Sinclair, and kept the pressure on with eight shots on goal out of nine taken for the match. Tottenham, which put only four shots on goal, didn't manage to equalise it until the 60th minute, on a goal by striker Milenko Acimovic. The Cockerels lost defender Dean Richards to a serious knee injury in the 16th minute, and then had forward Robbie Keane go off with a knock in the 88th minute. Sinclair played a strong two-way match, with two shots and three drawn fouls in addition to his score, and eight headers and three interceptions elsewhere, earning him the Man of the Match. Injuries & Suspensions The Wolves, as noted above, were hit very hard. Striker Steffen Iversen will miss five days with a thigh bruise, while defender Paul Ince could miss up to two weeks with a stubbed toe. Striker Henri Camara, who got a goal in the match, was diagnosed with strained knee ligaments afterwards that will shelf him for two weeks, and winger Colin Cameron also picked up a light knock. The injury of the day, though, goes to Newcastle forward Lomana LuaLua, who tore a groin muscle in the Magpies' win over Leeds. He will miss two months of action. He has scored three goals in four league and cup match appearances. Tottenham defender Dean Richards will also miss two weeks with a damaged knee cap. The rest of the day's injuries were day to day. Leicester defensive midfielder Riccardo Scimeca picked up the season's first league send off with a harsh two-leg tackle on Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy. Scimeca will miss Leicester's next match, at Newcastle on Saturday, automatically, and may receive further sanctioning from the English Football Association. |
SATURDAY, August 23, 2003
Villa Signs Aberdeen's McNaughton BIRMINGHAM-- Aston Villa signed Scottish Premier Division defender Kevin McNaughton away from Aberdeen on Friday for a fee of £1.7 M. The 20-year-old defender is considered a young talent with a bright future. He is already physically skilled and intelligent on the pitch, although he still has a lot of work to do on technique, according to football scouts. McNaughton has never been with anyone but Aberdeen. He has played with the first team the past three seasons, scoring a goal in 22 matches last year, and appearing in 96 matches in the three seasons. McNaughton should help a backline that is still trying to recover from losing strong centreback Olof Mellberg to Chelsea on transfer last month. McNaughton signed a three-year, £300,000 contract with the Villans. Scimeca Gets Off Easy The English Football Association decided one match was enough for Leicester City defender Riccardo Scimeca. Scimeca was sent off in the 7th minute of Leicester's 2-0 loss to Liverpool Wednesday when he went in two-footed on a tackle on midfielder Danny Murphy. Scimeca will miss today's match at Newcastle with the automatic one-match ban that coems with every red card, but he will be eligible to return for the Foxes' next match, at home against the Wolves next Saturday. |
SATURDAY, August 23, 2003
FA Barclaycard Premiership Game of the Round Manchester United at Chelsea The richest club in the world goes up against the richest owner in the world in this heavyweight clash at Stamford Bridge. Both sides will be looking for redemption as well. Man U got its first win against Aston Villa with a 3-0 stomping Wednesday, but it is still smarting from having lost the Community Shield and the league opener to rival Arsenal. Chelsea is trying to recover from doing everything it could to beat Bolton ont he road Wednesday except actually win. Despite a 19-4 shots advantage, the Blues lost a shocker, 2-1, to the Wanderers. With Arsenal off to such a strong start, this is already a key match for both sides as they try to keep up. The Rest of the Matches Arsenal at Aston Villa Everton at Blackburn Bolton at Liverpool Birmingham at Manchester City Leicester at Newcastle Southampton at Tottenham Charlton at Portsmouth (Sunday) Leeds at Wolverhampton (Sunday) Fulham at Middlesbrough (Monday) |
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Nice to see Kanu getting a chance in the game, just as he is in real life. I think he makes an excellent strike partner for Titi. |
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Yep, he's gone the end of this year. Which irl is quite depressing to me because he's stated numerous times he's done at Celtic. Think he wants to move back to Sweden. I'm surprised no one has bought him in your game yet, as he always gets bought early in my CM games. You might have a shot then! Tough loss against Birmingham also. I thought that was one you guys had a good shot of pulling some points out of. |
He got bought early in my game (01/02) as well, by . . . me. Paid 15 for him at the time.
My rotation of Henry, Bergkamp and Larsson rocked. :D |
daedalus: That doesn't surprise me about their lineup. I'm sure Freddie's getting time. And, yeah, Kanu is definitely getting time and doing damage when he's in there. I'm not too anxious to play that squad. :)
Henry, Bergkamp and Larsson?!? That's just so, so wrong. :) BTW, Titi? Is that a nickname for Henry? What's the story behind that? Sounds weird (maybe it's French ;) ). Calis: Although it never registered with me that his contract must be up, I do remember reading about Larsson and his future plans int he paper one of these past weeks. The report said he was seriously contemplating retirement from football altogether. Ouch. I know some people like guys going out at their peak. I hate it. Stay until you're old and gray, I say (yes, I know that all rhymes...eh...) It does appear that Lqarsson is staying put through the early period. I won't pin my hopes on him, but I will have to consider going after him aggressively if he becomes available. Birmingham was a disappointing match. As I hinted at in the article, I switched tactics in the second half, andf I think that screwed things up. Or maybe Birmingham woke up. I don't know. All I know is that after starting slow, the last 30 minutes of the first half was all Boro runs. I should have stuck with what was working, but I felt like I should go with something defensive to protect the draw on the road. Kinda like the zone defense. :) Next time, I think I will stay aggressive, figuring the best defense is a good offense, or however it goes. As for Birmingham itself, I suppose that might be a possible win in real life, but they have started off with good form in this league. Beating Blackburn on the road to open the season was pretty significant, I think. I was happy we were playing with them, even if my stupid tactics switching may have cost us the match. More to come. CR |
SUNDAY, August 24, 2003
Boro Linked To Hot Colombian Striker Jairo Fernando Castillo Might Be Club's Next Target CALI, Colombia-- Middlesbrough have made an offer to Colombian First Division side América de Cali for their star striker Jairo Fernando Castillo, according to reports out of Colombia on Saturday. Castillo, 25, is a versatile forward whom has already established himself as a rising star for Colombia's national side, scoring six goals in 22 international appearances. América de Cali, however, has reportedly not been too anxious to move the striker, and are rumored to have turned down an offer from the Boro for over £3 M. Observers believe Castillo would draw a fee in the area of £3 M to 4 M at the minimum. Interim Boro manager Matthew Kieta refused to comment Saturday, saying he had not committed to any one target for the frontline. Last week, former Chelsea star striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink chose to go to Dutch power Ajax instead of the Boro. Kieta has been looking for help up front, where some of the regulars from last season have not performed to the manager's expectations. Observers say Castillo is an explosive forward with excellent physical skills and great technique that would work well in the Premiership. Castillo has 17 goals, three assists, and a 7.50 rating in 34 matches for América de Cali this season. The Colombian First Division plays from January to December. Castillo has 50 goals in 109 appearances in five season, all in South America, including four with América de Cali. Even if the Boro succeed in prying Castillo away from the Colombian club, it will be difficult to get the transfer completed before the transfer deadline next Sunday. Castillo, as a player from outside of the European Union would need a work permit. If the permit were not granted immediately, as it sometimes is for more popular or skilled players, his application would be required to be reviewed by the English Football Association. The association traditionally sets work permit reviews two weeks after the transfer agreement is announced, which would be well after the deadline had passed. For that reason, it is thought that any transfer involving Castillo would bring him over to the Boro at the end of the Colombian season, which coincidentally runs close to the opening of the next transfer window in January. Under-19s Beat Birmingham The Boro's Under-19 squad one-upped the first team by actually beating their Birmingham counterparts on the road Saturday, ina tight 1-0 contest. The top Boro squad fell to the Blues' top team Wednesday in their first road match of the young season. Captain and goalkeeper David Knight was unbeatable, earning the clean sheet while facing off seven shots, four of which were on goal. The Boro took eight shots, with six on the mark. Striker Danny Reed's 55th minute strike slipped through the Birmingham defense for the only score of the match at Damson Park in Solihul. |
SUNDAY, August 24, 2003
FA Barclaycard Action Recap Arsenal 5, Aston Villa 3 Is there a worse way to lose a game than to be up two goals on one of the best sides in the world at home, but you are unable to hold it? That's what happened to Villa Saturday. Striker Juan Pablo Angel and midfielder Gavin McCann put the home team up 2-0 over Arseanl at the 34th minute. But then it came apart. The key to the collapse was forward Sylvain Wiltord, who singlehandedly brought the Gunners back with goals in the 36th and 51st minutes. Then wingers Mikel Arteta and Robert Pires scored two minutes apart, in the 67th and 69th minutes, to give Arsenal four straight scores for the 4-2 lead. The Villans showed heart in coming back then, getting back in one with a 73rd minute strike by strike Darius Vassell. But then they watched as their own defender, Jonathon Bewers, accidentally clinched it for the Gunners with an own goal in the 80th minute. As if that hurt enough, Aston Villa also lost young winger Peter Whittingham in the 88th minute with a groin injury. Wiltord received the Man of the Match. Blackburn 3, Everton 0 Three days after just losing a clean sheet at Fulham in a 3-1 win, the Rover defense and goalkeeper Brad Friedel got their clean sheet in impressive form against the Blues of Everton. The visitors barely made a squeak against that defense, with just two shots, and only one of them actually requiring Friedel to make a stop. Blackburn got off to the early lead ona 12th minute score by forward Matt Jensen. New star midfielder Barry Ferguson finished it off, with his first ever goals for the Rovers, in the 38th and 66th minutes. Jensen received the Man of the Match, with a solid all around match at both ends of the pitch. Manchester United 2, Chelsea 1 The Blues fought the powerful Red Devils o a scoreless draw for much of the match, but they couldn't keep it up. Star strikers Nicolas Anelka and Ruud van Nistlerooy sent Chelsea reeling with goals in the 51st and 56th minute. The Blues got back within one courtesy of star midfielder Juan Sebastián Verón--getting his first of the season against his old mates--in the 78th minute, but it was too little, too late. Despite playing in the comforts of Stamford Bridge, Chelsea managed just three total shots in the match. Centreback Mikael Silvestre took the Man of the Match, with 16 headers, three interceptions and an assist. Liverpool 3, Bolton 1 The Reds obliterated the Wanderers on the pitch, at least with shots taken. Liverpool piled up 23 shots--with 13 on goal-- against Bolton's four at Anfield Saturday. Even so, the home squad was knotted up in a tight 1-1 tie until winger John Arne Riise scored the go-ahead goal in the waning minutes of the forst half to put them up. Striker Milan Baros put it away with a score in the 51st minute. Early on, Liverpool got a penalty goal from striker Michael Owen, but midfielder Kevin Nolan got it back for Bolton with a strike in the 25th minute. Riise got the Man of the Match with seven headers, nine interceptions, and four runs in addition to his difference-making goal. Manchester City 1, Birmingham 0 Despite playing in the unfriendly confines of the City of Manchester Stadium and having defender Matthew Upson sent off in the 62nd minute, the Blues still outshot City, 10-9. In the end, it did them little good, though, as Manchester City midfielder Paul Bosvelt got the only goal in a tense, close match. Bosvelt got his first ever goal for City in the 43rd minute--before Upson was sent off for tripping striker Antoine Sibierski. Wingback Michael Tarnat got the Man of the Match with six tackles, 16 headers and four interceptions. Newcastle 2, Leicester 2 The Foxes got their first taste of success in the Premiership, and they did it on the road against one of the top clubs in the league--and the Magpies needed an 87th minute strike by forward Craig Bellamy to even get that much. James Scowcraft was the star for Leicester, as the striker scored the tie goal in the 32nd minute and the go-ahead shot in the 57th minute. Midfielder Darren Ambrose got the other Newcastle score in the 31st minute. The Magpies outshot Leicester, 13-6, but the visitors made their shots count. Scowcraft received the Man of the Match. Tottenham 2, Southampton 0 The Cockerels and Saints combined for just seven total shots as Tottenham striker provided all the scoring in the match. His penalty in the 62nd minute broke the scoreless tie, and his goal in the 82nd minute clinched it for the home side. Kasey Keller earned the clean sheet for Tottenham, with help from fullback Stephen Carr, who collected 11 tackles, 12 headers and four interceptions in earning the Man of the Match. Injuries & Suspensions The most notable injury was to Aston Villa left winger Peter Whittngham. The 18-year-old tore his groin muscle and will miss two months. Liverpool forward Emile Heskey picked up a harsh knock and a post-match examination discovered a broken rib. The injury is expected to put him out for a week. Chelsea's Jan Sebastián Verón strained his wrist, but is only expected to be out a handful of days. The rest of the injuries were day to day. Birmingham defender Matthew Upson was the only player sent off Saturday, when he tripped Manchester City striker Antoine Sibierski while the latter was on a run. He will automatically have to miss Birmingham's next match, at home against Tottenham on Saturday. Today's Matches Charlton at Portsmouth Leeds at Wolverhampton |
MONDAY, August 25, 2003
FA Barclaycard Action Recap Portsmouth 3, Charlton 1 The Pompey haven't looked like a recent First Division club in the early going. They dominated the Addicks Sunday in getting their second win in the Premiership, limiting the visiting squad to five shots, against 16 of their own. Two first half scores, one each by midfielders Amdy Moustapha Faye and Alexei Smerten, tookt he pressure off, and Portsmouth just rolled from there. Striker Svetoslav Todorov continued his strong play with a goal in the 60th minute, showing he can score at any level. Starting keeper Pavel Srnicek had his clean sheet ruined by an 89th minute score by Charlton forward Jonaton Johansson. Todorov got the Man of the Match. Wolverhampton 0, Leeds 0 The Wolves deserved better than a home draw after outshooting vsiting United 15-5. Paul Robinson showed why he is one of the best goalkeepers in the business when he turned away the Wolves' active offense, including six on-goal shots, to keep his side in it. Striker Alan Smith in particular was indicative of Leeds' offensive problems, as he won just one header in 27 aerial challenges and was also whistled for offsides. Robinson got the Man of the Match, while Matt Murray and Michael Oakes split time during an effortless clean sheet on their own end. Injuries & Suspensions Portsmouth midfielder Steve Stone strained his groin and will miss two weeks of action. There were no other injuries beyond light knocks. No one was sent off Sunday. Tonight's Match Fulham at Middlesbrough |
MONDAY, August 25, 2003
Fulham at Middlesbrough When: 7:45 p.m. Where: Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough Forecast: 9º C (rainy) Middlesbrough Out: DC Ugo Ehiogu, ML Allan Johnston, ML Lionel Morgan, ML Stuart Downing Fulham Out: None Outlook: The Cottagers have not looked good in losing both of their first two matches by two-goal deficits. They only scored one goal total in the losses, a 2-0 road loss to Portsmouth and a 3-1 home loss to Blackburn. The Boro have been more solid, with a strong win over Tottenham at home and a competitive loss against Birmingham on the road. They are somewhat in disarray, though, because of internal strife between manager Matthew Kieta and striker Massimo Maccarone. The match is expected to be a soggy one. |
TUESDAY, August 26, 2003
Job, Juninho Lead Boro To Victory The Two Forwards Handle Scoring On A Damp Night At Riverside MIDDLESBROUGH-- The Boro got back on the winning track Monday, thanks to the contribtions of Joseph-Désiré Job and Juninho. The two veterans started on the Boro's frontline Monday night and led the way to a 3-1 victory on a drizzly cold night in front of 23,630 at Riverside Stadium. "They got the job done," interim Boro manager Matthew Kieta said after the match. "That's what we need up there. Guys who can make a difference." Inconsistency up front has been a primary theme for Middlesbrough in this early season. The Cottagers and Boro were locked in a tight match for much of the running time. Job got the scoring started in the 12th minute, but midfielder Sylvain Legwinski would get the quick equaliser in the 18thminute. Job's early score was set up by a clear out and soem nice passing. Centreback Chris Riggott won an aerial challenge in the Boro goal box with Fulham fullback Jerome Bonnissel, heading a centered crossing pass back out into the middle of the pitch. Juninho got to it first and proceeded to take a run to the centreline, right down the middle of the pitch. Under pressure from a foursome of enclosing Cottagers, Juninho shot a pass down to winger Boudewijn Zenden by the right touchline. Zenden had barely received it before he sent a superb pass forward to Job, hard-charging into the penalty area from the right and with centreback Martin Djetou closing on him. Job had just a slight step on Djetou and blasted a beautiful low shot between Djetou and the near-post-guarding goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar. The ball sailed unhindered into the far left scorner of the net for the first score of the match. Fullham's tying score was initiated by a long pass from van der Sar. The keeper took a backpass and cleared the ball to the centerline, just to the right the kickoff circle. Midfielder Zatyiah Knight beat out Riggott for the ball and headed it on to striker Louis Saha in the center of the pitch in front of the Boro goal. Under pressure from a trio of Boros, Saha dropped a short pass to forwrad Lee Clark. Clark sent a long pass to the right touchline and winger Mark Pembridge. Pembridge put a nice pass forward to Saha, whom had broken for the right corner after passing off. Saha charged into the right area of the penalty box, drawing the attentions of both Riggott and defender Gareth SOuthgate. This would be a crucial error, as there were no Boro defenders back in the goal box. Saha sent a floating pass from near the goal line into the box, where Knight and Legwinski were both charging toweard the net. Legwinski got the pass under control and then fired a blast for the score past goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer, just before the netminder reached him. That would be all the scoring in a tight first half. The Boro finally broke things open with more consistent play in the second half. It started with Juninho, whom had yet to score on the young season. The attacking midfielder was starting at striker Monday night, thanks to depth at midfield and Kieta's continuing attempts to tinker with the lineups up front. Doriva--who started where Juninho usually starts--intercepted an errant pass int he middle of the pitch and sent a backpass to Riggott. The centreback sent a long pass out to winger Malcolm Christie, 15 yards from the left touchline. Christie was under pressure from Bonnissel, but he still had enough room to find Juninho, whom had broken toward him from his own marker, defender Andy Melville. Juninho took Christie's pass along the outer edge of the penalty area and charged in toward the left post. With a step on Melville, Juninho blasted a high shot for the right side of the net. Van der Sar got his hands on it, but it came too strong, as the shot sailed off his hands and intot he net for the go ahead. Job put in the clincher just a few minutes later, in the 57th minute, when Legwinski was flagged for a penalty on Zenden. Southgate sent a half-pitch length pass into the right corner and wingback Franck Queudreu. Queudreu attracted the attentions of both Legwinski and fullback Alain Goma, leaving Zenden alone on the outer corner of the penalty box. When Queudreu won the header, he moved it on to Zenden, who immediately charged toward the right end of the goalbox. Legwinski, coming inf rom behind Zenden, had to take Zenden legs out to stop him, forcing the call. Job got the call for the penalty. He hit a low shot toward the left post, just catching it ont he inside and into the net. Van der Sar never really had a chance, as the forward got his second goal of the match. After that, the Boro turned on the defense and wrapped things up. They limited the Cottagers to just six shots, with four on goal. They, in turn, had 10 shots, nine on goal. Job did pick up a knock in the 74th minute and had to leave the pitch, but Kieta said it wasn't serious and he would be available when team practices resumed Wednesday. Job got the Man of the Match for his efforts Monday night. The Boro don't play again until Saturday's visit to Everton. The Premiership takes off the mid-week match for European competion, as the Champions League and UEFA cups resume. |
TUESDAY, August 26, 2003
Kieta After Castillo, Arsenal's Aliadière The Search For A Star Striker Continues MIDDLESBROUGH-- Interim Boro manager Matthew Kieta is beginning to make headlines in his search for a striker. The manager on Monday confirmed the weekend rumors that he was pursuing Jairo Fernando Castillo of Colombian First Division side América de Cali, and also Arsenal's young French striker Jérémie Aliadière. "Either player would make a huge differennce for us up front," Kieta said just hours before his squad was set to kickoff with Fulham at Riverside Stadium. The Boro won the match, 3-1. Kieta said he was "shocked" Castillo wasn't on this side of the Atlantic already. "That guy can flat out play," Kieta said. "He could step on the pitch right now and be one of the top ten strikers in the Premiership, I believe." Castillo, 25, is a well-regarded versatile forward whom has played his entire career in South America. He has scoered 17 goals in 35 appearances with América de Cali this season, to go along with 3 assists and a 7.46 rating. The Colombian First Division season runs from January to December, as opposed to the August to May fixtures favored by most of the major European leagues. Castillo has also appeared in 22 matches for Colombia, scoring six goals in international play. Kieta also confirmed that América de Cali turned down a Middlesbrough offer of £3.3 M for Castillo over the weekend. Kieta described the Colombian side's part in moving Castillo as "very reluctant." Castillo is expected to draw, at minimum, a transfer fee from £3 M to £4 M. Kieta said the intiial offer was for an immediate transfer, in the hopes that Castillo might receive an immediate work permit on the basis of his international status. The Boro have made another offer to the Colombian club, but Kieta was mum on the details. With roughly £3.5 M left in transfer funds available, it is not clear what more the club could offer América de Cali to entice them into a move. Neither Castillo nor América de Cali officials were available for comment Monday. Kieta said his interest in Aliadière is purely as a backup solution. "Let's face it, Castillo is a longshot at this point," Kieta said. "The window closes on Sunday. So if we're going to make a move, we need to make it a fast one." Kieta called Aliadière an "exciting, young talent" who would get the playing time with the Boro he will struggle to see with the Gunners. "He just has so much physical talent, and he's a natural with finding the net," Kieta said of the French striker, who is just 20. "He has a lot of growing to do, but is he going to be able to do that trapped behind that phenomenal group of forwards? I don't think so." Kieta may have a point about playing time, as Aliadière is listed on Arsenal's depth chart behind star countryman Thierry Henry, another veteran star in Dennis Bergkamp, and the versatile Sylvain Wiltord. Aliadière was also trapped behind Nigerian star Kanu, who is off to a great start with three goals in four matches with the London superpower, but on Monday, Arsenal sold the player to Juventus. The Kanu deal will likely make any Aliadière deal far less liekly to be consummated. Aliadière has yet to see the pitch for the Gunners this season. He scored one goal in three appearances with Arsenal last season. Football365.com reported early Monday that Kieta had already made an offer to Arsenal for the young forward that had been rejected. Kieta was noncommittal on the report, refusing to say how far talks had progressed with Arsenal over the striker's availability. Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger confirmed Monday evening that he had spoken with Kieta about Aliadière, although he refused to comment on any offers that might have been made. "Now that we have moved Kanu out, I think it would be hard for us to also move Jérémie as well," the manager said. "We're deep, but we're not that deep, especially with Thierry [Henry] still nursing his knee injury." Henry, one of the top strikers in football, has missed Arsenal's first three Premiership matches with a minor knee sprain, but is expected to return to action within a week. Football365.com reported that the superpower would not consider an offer for Aliadière under £11 M, an assertion Wenger did not dispute Monday. Such a transfer fee is well beyond what Middlesbrough is known to be able to afford. The exploits of Kieta and his search for a star forward have become fodder for daily headlines in northeast England. Poor performances by young strikers like Massimo Maccarone and Malcolm Christie have led to the manager's desire to bring in new blood. This has also led to bad blood between Maccarone and Kieta, which has spilled over into the lockerroom. Kieta's job got even trickier Monday night when veteran forwards Joseph-Désiré Job and Juninho led the squad to its victory over Fulham. Many observers believe that the Boro should abandon using the less consistent younger strikers it has in Maccarone, Christie and Michael Ricketts in favor of reliance on known talents like Job, who scored two goals Monday night, and Juninho, a scoring midfielder who might be able to move forward because of the good midfield depth on the squad. Juventus Signs Kanu With Thierry Henry close to returning from a knee injury, Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger allowed Kanu to leave the club for Italian Serie A power Juventus Monday. Kanu, 27, has started in Henry's place and scored three goals in four matches for the Gunners so far this year. He also garnered Man of the Match notice twice already and compiled a 7.75 rating. Juventus paid £6.25 M for the Nigerian forward's rights Monday. Kanu scored five goals in 16 appearances with Arsenal last season. Kanu has been a part time player with the Gunners since 1999. He scored 32 goals in 113 career appearances with Arsenal. Kanu's transfer to Juventus is a return to Serie A for him. He was a little-used reserve with Internazionale from 1996 to 1999, which followed first team play with Dutch power Ajax. Kanu has also appeared in 39 matches for his homeland Nigeria, scoring six goals in international play. Kanu's departure should mean more playing time for Sylvain Wiltord up front and for reserve striker Jérémie Aliadière, whom has been at the center of transfer rumors recently, including from fellow Premiership side Middlesbrough. |
WEDNESDAY, August 27, 2003
América de Cali Rejects Another Boro Offer For Castillo Castillo Upset At Club's Stubborness CALI, Colombia-- Colombian First Division side América has rejected another offer from Middlesbrough for striker Jairo Fernando Castillo, according to reports out of Comolbia and Middlesbrough. And Castillo isn't happy about it. "This is a brilliant opportunity for me," the striker told Colombian media. "Can't [América de Cali management] see that?" The striker said he was excited for the chance to play in a top league like the Premiership and flattered by interim Bor manager Matthew Kieta's pursuit of his service. "He's new to the Premiership, too," Castillo said. "He's making an impression over there. I would like to go over there and help him make that impression even stronger." The offer, which is the second the Premiership club has made for Castillo in the past week, was reportedly up to £3.4 M and included incentives such as a percentage of future sales and appearance bonuses for América de Cali. Castillo, 25, has scored 17 goals in 35 matches for the Colombian First Divison side this season, and six goals in 22 career caps for Colombia. Kieta has also been linked to attempts to bring in former Chelsea striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Arsenal's Jérémie Aliadière. Middlesbrough lost out to Dutch power Ajax for Hasselbaink last week, and Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger has said a deal for Aliadière would be unlikely to happen. Kieta said Tuesday he would continue to pursue the forward. |
WEDNESDAY, August 27, 2003
Fulham Win Buoys Spirits, Kieta Says MIDDLESBROUGH-- Interim manager Matthew Kieta said moods were high in the engine room following the squad's 3-1 demolition of Fulham Monday evening during his weekly press conference Tuesday. The manager said the win and the club's recent solid play in opening their Premiership fixture have considerably lightened morale for a squad that saw plenty of backbiting and sparring in its first week, courtesy of a psat between Kieta and the club's top striker Massimo Maccarone. Kieta criticized Maccarone last week for his poor performances in the preseason and in the club's league opener against Tottenham, leading to the Italian striker's announcement that he would "welcome" a move out of Middlesbrough. "The guys seem to be in good spirits," Kieta said. "Winning has its benefits. As for how Massimo and I are getting along, you guys have made a much bigger deal of that than it really is." Maccarone agreed that things had thawed a bit, and that the whole affair has been overplayed in the media. "Mister Kieta and I have never been off of speaking terms," Maccaroen said. "Outside of our comments to the media, we have been civil toward each other and entirely professional. It's just a difference of opinion that isn't really all much of one." Maccarone also backed away from his desire to leave the club Tuesday, although he said he was "undecided" on that issue. "I love playing here for the fans of Middlesbrough," the 23-year-old striker said. "I'm still playing with the first team and top eleven. I have friends here, like Juninho and Salvatore [Fresi], and I love the area and am playing for a good club ina top league. I would be losing a lot to leave here." Maccarone said he wanted the opportunity to prove Kieta wrong as well, something that would be more difficult at a different club. Kieta has been pursuing help for his front line for some weeks now. After losing out on former Chelsea striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink last week to Dutch superpower Ajax, the manager has been linked to star striker Jairo Fernando Castillo of Colombia's América de Cali and Arsenal's young talent Jérémie Aliadière the past few days. Kieta said Tuesday his pursuit of a forward has been possibly for this transfer period by his failure to get Castillo or talk Arsenal into moving Aliadière. "I think América de Cali will continue to rebuff my offers for Castillo, at least at the moment," Kieta said. The manager was correct about that, as the Colombian First Division side turned down his latest offer for Castillo just hours after the conclusion of Kieta's press conference. Kieta said he might make another last ditch effort for Castillo if this last one was turned dwon. Kieta didn't sound hopeful on the Aliadière front. "I don't think we can afford what Arsenal is looking for," Kieta said. "I will continue to keep tabs on the situation, though." Kieta said he was looking forward to the return of wingers Lionel Morgan and Stuart Downing from injury. There remains the possiblity that either player might be available for the club's match at Everton Saturday. "We are still very weak in depth along the wing," Kieta said. "We could really use those guys." Kieta said Morgan would likely start off with the reserves to get some match practice. Morgan, who was bought from First Division side Wimbledon in August, has been shelved with knee cartilage damage since early July and has yet to appear in a match, preseason or otherwise, this season. Boro Reserves Fall To Birmingham City Birmingham took the three-squad series Tuesday, after the Middlesbrough reserves fell to the Blues' reserves 4-2 at The Stadium in Billingham, the Boro reserves' home pitch. The Blues scored four goals in 14 minutes int he second half to come back from a 1-0 deficiit. Defender John Higgins tied it up in the 47th minute with a penalty, and then striker Luciano Figueroa scored twice in two minutes in the 51st and 53rd minute to put it away. Forward Andrew Barrowman put it away with a score in the 61st minute. Boro forward Niklas Nordgren scored the first goal in the 43rd minute, but they couldn't make it hold up. Fellow forward Chris Emms got the other goal on a penalty in the 83rd minute, long after the outcome of the match was out of question. The loss to Birmingham is the second loss by a Boro squad to the Blues in a week, after the first team lost to Birmingham last Wednesday. The Boro Under-19's beat the Blues Friday, netting Middlesbrough its only win against Birmingham int he past week. |
THURSDAY, August 28, 2003
Newcastle, Chelsea Win Into Champions League With Ease The Champions League will have a very heavy British Isles feel this year after Newcastle and Chelsea played their way into the group stage of Europe's top competition. The two Premiership sides join Scotland's Celtic and Rangers, and England superpowers Arsenal and Manchester United in the 32-club stage after winning their qualifying round legs Wednesday night. Chelsea defeated Iceland's Knattspyrnufélag Reykjavíkur 3-0 in Reykjavik, Iceland, on Wednesday to complete a 7-2 aggregate win in the two-leg third round of qualifying. Newcastle edged out FC Copenhagen in Denmark Wednesday with a 1-0 road victory. That win finished a 6-1 overall leg win for the Magpies. The Rangers didn't have it so easy. They lost to Belgian power Club Brugge 1-0 in Bruges Wednesday and just eeked out a 2-1 aggregate win. Celtic also fell Wednesday night in Istanbul, Turkey, where they lost 3-2 to Turkish power Galatasaray. Overall, they also cut it close with a 5-3 aggregate win in the round. Ireland side Bohemians fell to another Belgian club in Anderlecht by a 3-1 aggregate score. Dutch side Ajax overcame their first leg upset at the hands of Swiss side Grasshoppers by defeating them at home 5-1, giving Ajax a 6-3 overall score. The other new entries to the Champions League group stage are Greek National A Division side AEK Athens (4-1 over CSKA Sofia of Bulgaria); Austrian side Austria Vienna (6-1 over Kaunus of Lithuania); Ukrainian High League Shakhtar (1-0 over fellow Ukrainian side Dinamo Kiev); Russian Premier Division club Lokomotiv Moscow (3-2 over Sweden's Djurgården); the Bundesliga's Dortmund (3-1 over Russia's CSKA Moscow); Serie A power Lazio (5-0 over Sparta Prague of the Czech Republic); Portuguese Superleague squad Benfica (4-4 on away scores over Serbia & Montenegro's Partizan); Norwegian Premier Division squad Rosenborg (3-2 over France's Marseille); and the Primera Liga sides Celta (4-1 over Austria's GAK) and Deportivo (4-0 over Maribor of Slovenia). The group stage will be announced Saturday, including the four-club groupings and fixtures. All sixteen losers of the third round will be entered into the drawing for the UEFA Cup First Round. Inter-Toto Cup Wraps Up The Bundesliga gained two new additions to the UEFA Cup when Schalke 04 and Werder Bremen both won their legs of the Inter-Toto Cup finals Wednesday night. The two German clubs join Serie A squad Perugia as the three automatic entries into Europe's second most prestigious competition. The Inter-Toto Cup receives three annual bids to give out to the UEFA Cup, which it determeines with a two-month tourney involving some of the top clubs from lesser leagues throughout Europe, as well as mid-table sides from top leagues like the Bundesliga and Serie A. Werder Bremen defeated Primera Liga side Villareal by a 2-1 aggregate score. Schalke 04 defeated La Ligue One side Guingamp 3-2. Perugia beat Czech First Division squad Slovan Liberec 4-2 overall. |
THURSDAY, August 28, 2003
Cottagers Interested In Greening? LONDON-- Reports out of the capital city are saying that Fulham has made a loan offer for the services of Middlesbrough forward Jonathon Greening. Interim manager Matthew Kieta said he had not made Greening available for loan, and that he had no interest in moving him. "Jonathon is very critical to this team right now, especially considering he can play on the right wing," Kieta said, referring to perhaps the Boro's shallowest position. Ironically, Greening was on the sheet for Middlesbrough's match against Fulham, but was never subbed in during the Boro's 3-1 win. Greening has made just one appearance on the season so far, starting at right wing against Birmingham City last week. Kieta said Greening performed well in that road loss and has done nothing to lessen his role with the squad. Greening, 24, is a versatile player who can play either wing, the midfield spots and the forward spots. He saw regular first eleven time last year, appearing in 38 matches and scoring two goals, but the arrival of Gaizka Mendieta on loan from lazio has pushed him to a primary reserve role. Fulham also reportedly wanted a transfer bid option worked into the deal, which might have nixed any possibility the young forward was going anywhere. Celta Sign Away Edu Arsenal sold off its second big ticket reserve in three days when they agreed to allow the volatile midfielder-winger Edu to leave for Primera Liga side Celta for £5.75 M. Edu goes to Spain just two days after Arsenal sent Nigerian striker Kanu to Serie A power Juventus in Italy. The Brazlian Edu was at the center of controversy last month when he complained to the media that the acquisition of Simon Perrotta from Chievo would bring in too many players at his position at Highbury. At the time, Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger said Edu would not be going anywhere, and rumors of the midfielder's transfer out had died away. Edu, 25, could see first eleven action for Celta, something he wasn't seeing with the Gunners. Edu had only made one substitute appearance so far for Arsenal this season, without distinguishing himself. Edu scored two goals in 18 appearances with the English superpower last season. He signed a three-year £675,000 contract with the Spanish club. Radebe Announces Retirement Leeds' commanding centreback Lucas Radebe announced that he would retire from football at the conclusion of the 2003-04 season. Radebe, 34, was once a first eleven regular for United, appearing in at least 27 matches each season from 1996 to 2000. Since then, he has seen much more sporadic reserve time, with 20 appearances in 2000-01, 19 appearances in 2002-03, and a spot with the reserves the entire 2001-02 season. "I just feel it is time," Radebe told reporters Wednesday. "I have played a game I love for a long time, but it is now in the hands of a younger generation. Leeds is a great place to play footy, and I hope to make my last season here a memorable one. I still feel like I am in my prime. I want to go out on a high." Thanks to Leeds' demolition of its own roster for financial reasons, Radebe is back on the first eleven at Elland Road. In an eleven year career, Radebe has never scored a goal in stints with Leeds and his former South African squad the Kaizer Chiefs. He has appeared in 185 matches since his professional career began in 1992, most of them with Leeds, where he remains very popular with the supporters. "It's a sad day for United and its supporters," Leeds manager Eddie Gray said. "Lucas has been terrific for this club. He is a great leader and well-liked in the engine room." Gray said he hadn't considered yet whether the defender would be offered a post-career position with the club, although it was certainly a possibility. Gray said they would dedicate the rest of the season to Radebe, who told his manager and squad mates the news shortly before announcing the press conference Wednesday morning. Radebe has been playing with United since the 1994-95 season. The South African is already retired from international football. He appeared in 70 matches for his native South Africa, and did what he has not done in his club career--scored a goal. Two international goals, to be exact. |
FRIDAY, August 29, 2003
Wenger: Aliadière Available After All LONDON-- Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger did an about face Thursday and said he would be willing to move striker Jérémie Aliadière for the right price. "Jérémie deserves a shot at major playing time," Wenger said. "He has huge upside, but he is trapped behind some pretty good players here." Wenger emphasized he would only move the 20-year-old prospect striker for an offer that equals his value to the Gunners. Alaidière has been linked to a move to Middlesbrough this week as Boro interim manager Matthew Kieta continues to search for help up front. Whatever price Wenger is seeking, Kieta said "it's not two and a half million pounds." That was what Kieta said he offered the boss for the striker, with additional incentives. "I think Aliadière is a great talent," Kieta said Thursday. "But I can't see giving much more than that for him right now. It's not like he's a proven performer just yet." A report by Football365.com Monday suggested the Gunners wouldn't accept less than £11 M for the striker. Kieta said "not a chance" when asked if he thought the Boro could come up with that kind of cash. Aliadière is a product of Arsenal's youth system and has never played professioanlly outside of the superpower club. In three appearances with the Gunners last season, he scored one goal. With Kanu off to Juventus and the departure of Edu leaving more time for Sylvain Wiltord in the midfield, Aliadière is expected to receive much more playing time as a primary reserve behind star strikers Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp. |
FRIDAY, August 29, 2003
UEFA Wraps Up Qualifying Man City Among Handful of British Isle Teams To Make The First Round Manchester City defeated Eridivisie side Brondby 4-1 in Denmark Thursday to secure a berth in UEFA's first round draw. The two-leg qualifying round saw the Citizens win by a 6-3 aggregate score. City joins Premiership first seeds Liverpool, Blackburn and Southampton in the draw for the second most prestigious club tournament in Europe. The draw will be held Saturday. In addition to Man City, Scottish Premier Division side Dundee United got in, defeating Armenian squad Bavants 6-2 overall. United joins Hearts in the UEFA competition. The qualifying round also saw the only entries possible from other areas of the British Isles, including Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Welsh side Total Network Solutions edged out Czech First Division side Teplice 3-2 aggregate, but league mate Cwmbran Town fell 4-1 to Olimpija of Slovenia. Northern Irish League Premier Division squad Portadown won out in a meeting of Irish clubs by defeating Irish Premier Division club Derry City on away scores, 3-3. The Republic of Ireland won't be without some representation, though, as Shelbourne defeated Valletta of Malta, 6-1, to easily get into the competition. Northern Ireland squad Coleraine lost to Bosnian club Zeljesnicar 5-2 on aggregate. The 41 winners of the qualifying round leg wrapped up Thursday will be entered in the draw with 36 first seeds, which include some of the top sides in the top leagues, as well as the 16 third qualifying round losers from the Champions League and three sides which won the Inter Toto Cup competition. |
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The coolest part of this signing, of course, is that Celta already has a 25 year old Brazillian winger name . . . Edu. Yup, this makes two. [Arsenal recently played against Celta where Edu scored the first three goals of the game, 2 from Arsenal's Edu and one from the other.] |
SATURDAY, August 30, 2003
América de Cali Rejects Final Boro Offer For Castillo MIDDLESBROUGH-- Colombian First Division side América de Cali has rejected the Boro's latest offer for striker Jairo Fernando Castillo, the Premiership club announced Friday. "It was worth a last shot," interim Boro manager Matthew Kieta said. "I really thought they might consider it this time." Kieta said the club offered the Colombian side £3.4 M, plus incentives and a percentage of future sale fees, with the major change from previous offers being that the Boro would have Castillo tranfserred at the end of the Colombian First Division fixture, near the end of December. The next transfer window opens on January 1, 2004. América de Cali refused to be swayed by their striker's own announced preference to be allowed to leave for a major club like Middlesbrough. Castillo could not be reached for comment Friday. The 25-year-old striker has 17 goals in 35 appearances for the COlombian squad, and has also racked up 22 caps for Colombia, scoring six international goals. With Castillo out of the picture for now and Arsenal's Jérémie Aliadière reportedly too pricey for the Boro to pursue, it looks like Kieta will be standing pat with his front line, at least for the rest of 2003. Inconsistency up front led to a fervent search by Kieta for striker help. In the Boro's first three matches, five strikers split up the six starts, with four goals scored by the group. Only Joseph Désiré Job has more than one goal-- he scored two against Fulham on Monday. The transfer window for the early period closes Sunday night. Under-19er Van Geele Hurt Defender Michael Van Geele of the Middlesbrough Under-19 squad suffered fractured ribs in an accidental collision with another player in training Friday. The 17-year-old Belgian prospect was taken to the hospital with pain in his side after the accident, where the injury was later diagnosed. Van Geele will miss about two weeks with the injury. Parnaby Called Up To England Under-21s Reserve defensive midfielder Stuart Parnaby was notified Friday that he would be on the roster for the England Under-21 squad's matches with FYR of Macedonia on September 5 and Liechtenstein on September 9. Parnaby, 21 and barely qualified by age, said it was an "honor" to represent his county with the youthful squad. Parnaby has been playing with the Boro reserves this season, although interim manager Matthew Kieta says he considers Parnaby depth on the backline and would have him on the first team "if sitting ont he bench would help him grow as a player". Parnaby appeared in 21 matches with the Boro first team last season. Kieta, asked if he gave the defender any instructions, said, "I told him to not get hurt." |
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Yeah, I'm just going on what the game gives me there. In game, he is listed as being temperamental, so his outburst in-game makes sense. Checked out Celta. Sure enough, there's a striker there named Edu. Funny stuff. :) What did you think of the Kanu move and the Aliadière rumors? I honestly pursued Aliadière in game before anyone her ementioned him (I can't remember if that was you or someone else). I thought that was a funny coincidence. CR |
SATURDAY, August 30, 2003
Porto Stuns Milan In Super Cup MONACO-- Maybe the UEFA is actually the most prestigious club competition in Europe. UEFA trophy holder Porto shocked Champions League holder AC Milan, 2-1, in the Super Cup Friday in front of 18,505 at the Stade Louis II in Monaco. The UEFA champ victory was the first in the series matching up the winners of Europe's top two competitions from the previous season since 2000, when Turkish power Galatsaray beat Primera Liga superpower Real Madrid. The match was a tightly-fought defensive battle for much of the running time. The first half ended in a scoreless draw. It wasn't far into the second half, though, when Porto put an end to that. Forward Marco Ferreira jumped on a rebound of his own crossing pass in the 50th minute. The pass, an attempt to reach striker Benni McCarthy, was headed off by defender Kakhaber Kaladze. When the ball bounced back to the left of the goal box, Ferreira got to the ball before fullback Paolo Maldini could reach him. Ferreira blasted a high and hard shot just inside the right post. It sailed past Milan goalkeeper Dida for the first score of the match. Porto moved it up a notch further in the 64th minute. Fullback Nuno Valente took a clearing pass along the right touch line and sent a long pass forward to César Peixoto, angling into the penalty area. Piexoto, under pressure, sent a soft centering floater into the box, where striker Ricardo was battling Milan midfielder Rui Costa. The Portuguese forward beat Costa in the air and sent a header shot just inside the left post, before Dida could make his way over. Milan's Dutch forward Jon Dahl Tomasson would get the Italian powerhouse a little closer with a 78th minute score, but it was too late, as Porto held on for the huge upset. "This is a huge win for Porto," said manager José Mourinho, "and an even bigger win for the nation of Portugal." Valente received the Super Cup Man of the Match award for his strong play at both ends of the pitch, and his role in what ended up being the game-winning goal. |
SATURDAY, August 30, 2003
Middlesbrough (2-0-1) at Everton (1-1-1) When: 12:30 p.m. Where: Goodison Park, Liverpool Forecast: 11º C Middlesbrough Out: DC Ugo Ehiogu, ML Allan Johnston, ML Lionel Morgan, ML Stuart Downing Everton Out: None Outlook: Everton is looking for redemption after a 3-0 shellacking at the hands of the Rovers in Blackburn last Saturday. The Blues were picked by many to contend for Europe and even a Top Five spot in the league this season, but the offense is off to a rough start, with only three goals in three matches. Offense was not expected to be a problem for a side with a high-quality three-headed monster at forward in the persons of young star Wayne Rooney, veteran Tomasz Radzinski and the steady Kevin Campbell. The Boro are riddled with injuries right now, especially on the wing, but they have been playing well. They were very strong in wins over Fulham and Tottenham and played well ina road loss to Birmingham. Interim Boro manager Matthew Kieta on Friday ruled wingers Downing and Morgan out of the match, saying he would prefer to err on the side of caution with respect to their injuries. FA Barclaycard Premiership Game of the Round Chelsea at Arsenal (Monday) Chelsea hasn't started off as well as its fans would like after all that money was spent to upgrade the roster in the offseason. While the club did qualify for the Champions League on Wednesday, they are 1-2-0 in league play, including a 2-1 loss to the Bolton Wanderers. This could be a gut check match for the Blues. It doesn't get much harder than going to Highbury and playing the Gunners, whom have started off strong. Arsenal beat Manchester United in the Community Shield and in the league opener, and then handily beat Southampton on the road, before finally sweating a little last Saturday against Aston Villa. Of course, they still won. The Gunners will be playing their first match without departed players Kanu and Edu, whom were transferred out to Juventus and Celta respectively this past week. The Rest of the Matches Tottenham at Birmingham Blackburn at Charlton Middlesbrough at Everton Portsmouth at Leeds Wolverhampton at Leicester City Aston Villa at Southampton Newcastle at Bolton (Sunday) Manchester City at Fulham (Sunday) Liverpool at Manchester United (Sunday) |
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I figured I'd mentioned him just after you'd approach the Boss about him when you mentioned that it was funny that I would have mentioned his name. Hee hee. I ended up selling Kanu both times I started CM 01/02 (first in the demo, then after I got the game). Some team always comes in with a 10M offer - which I generally convert into Larsson. In real life, Kanu's contract comes up at the end of this season (you can make a move for him on Bosman in January, I believe). I'm hoping he'll stay to give us another veteran striker to rely on since I think he can fill Bergkamp's role well. Unfortunately, the possibility of that is low right now with Reyes on board, both Aliadière and Bentley making strong showing in the Carling Cup and Arsenal needing to save money where they can. |
Bosman. Now there's my time to shine. I'm going to be looking for deals all over the place. :)
It bugs to see these great transfer deals going around, and I get a shade under £5 M from my owner--and he is considered "Secure" for club finances. I can't imagine what the "Okay" level that some Premiership teams have (Leeds comes to mind) means. Oh well, I just make do. In case you couldn't tell, I really liked Castillo. That guy's a great looking player. I'm going to be keeping my eye on him, just like Aliadière and Llarsson and Kanu. Keep on reading. Arsenal's Champions League grouping is going to be announced soon. :) CR |
SUNDAY, August 31, 2003
Boro Escape Goodison With A Draw The Two Sides Combine For Nineteen Shots, But Fail To Score A Goal LIVERPOOL-- The Blues have been having some problems scoring goals of late. Middlesbrough's visit to Goodison Park didn't improve that any. Fortunately for the home side, the defense was up to snuff, and the Blues and Boro marched out of the stadium with a 0-0 draw. Despite the lack of scoring, there were 19 shots in the match, with both sides leaving plenty of golden opportunities wasted on the pitch. Everton goalkeeper Richard Wright and Middlesbrough keepers Mark Schwarzer and Carlos Nash--a late-match replacement--all distinguished themselves with outstanding saves, while at other times, they were just plain lucky as normally reliable players missed easy chances. Middlesbrough took 10 shots, six of them on goal, to Everton's six and four. Despite being on the road, the Boro made a good show of ball control for much of the match. "Really, if things just break a little this way or that, we could have won this one big," Kieta said. "And, really, we could have lost it big, too. Sometimes that's just the way it goes. I'm pretty happy to get a draw out of this one." The Boro had some of their best chances in the last 15 minutes of the first half. In the 31st minute, midfielder Gaizka Mendieta sent a precise floating pass from near the right touchline to fellow midfielder Juninho, whom had found a slot in the defense and had an open look at the net from just inside the center of the penalty area. Juninho's header curled toward the right post before curling softly away and out of bounds. In the 41st minute, Joseph-Désiré Job tooka long pass along the left touchline from fullback Salvatore Fresi when he got a step on Blues winger James McFadden. Job angled into the left of the penalty area and the goal line before striking a low centering pass in the general direction of strikers Massimo Maccarone and Michael Ricketts. Everton centreback David Weir deflected the pass, though, while charging hard at Job, and the ball deflected to fullback Danny Mills, standing alone near the edge of the penalty area. Mills struck a left-footed strike toward the net, but the ball sailed wide right of the goal. Just a minute later, winger Boudewijn Zenden sent an in-swerving corner directly into the middle of a crowded goal box. Defender Chris Riggott won the aerial challenge but was unable to put it on goal, so he headed it back up the left goalline to Zenden. Zenden hit a low centering pass into the edge of the goalbox, to Maccarone. Maccarone, whose bvack was to the goal, tried to maneuver around for what would hvae been almost a point blank shot but centreback Joseph Yobo excuted a perfect sliding tackle and dislodged the ball into the outer penalyt area. Boro defender Gareth Southgate came up on the pass and sent a hard shot right at the net, but Wright was in perfect place to clutch it. In the 45th minute, Mendieta set up Job with a similar pass to the one which freed him for a goalline centering pass in the 40th minute. This time, Job got the pass off before Weir could come close enough to disrupt the pass. The ball went a little high, though, and fullback Alessandro Pistone headed the ball out into the center of the pitch, beating Zenden in the air. Mills stepped up and hit a hard shot right at the net, but Wright made a brilliant dive to his right to knock it sideways. Before a Boro attacker could jump on the rebound, Pistone again came through and cleared the ball to the centerline. The Boro had another great chance early in the second half. In the 46th minute, Mendieta collected the ball off of an errant pass near the far side of the kickoff circle and went on a run right down the heart of the Blues' defense. Conscious of Mendieta's passing abilities, the Everton defenders didn't immediately close on him, keeping tabs on the wingers and other attackers. This allowed Mendieta an almost unchallenged run into the penalty area. Mendieta unleashed what looked to be a powerful shot, but he caught the ball wrong and the shot petered out softly toward the goal, easily stopped by Wright. "The goal was wide open," Mendieta said. "Nine times out of ten, that one goes in. But this time, I took a misstep." It was just a couple minutes later when the Blues got their first great chance. Midfielder Thomas Gravesen picked up a backpass header off of a Boro freekick and sent an on the mark floater to striker Wayne Rooney 15 yards in from the right touchline and charging toward the penalty area. Rooney lofted a sot centering pass to fellow striker Tomasz Radzinski. The veteran striker had just an edge of a step on Riggott, who was marking him, and an open shot at Schwarzer and the net. Radzinski let go of a hard and high strike for the right corner, but the ball kept sailing and missed wide and up by inches. In the 57th minute, fullback David Unsworth intercepted an errant dribble by Job near the centerline and worked a straight centering pass to Gravesen. The midfielder immediately turned it back out to the right toucvhline, where McFadden had a step on his marker in Mills. McFadden charged right into the penalty area toward the box, and Southgate wasn't going to be able to get over in time to help Schwarzer out. Fortunately for the Boro, McFadden misfired sending his shot harmlessly into the sidenetting. The close calls continued. Juninho had a shot sail over the crossbar after splitting the defense on a run similar to Mendieta's previous run. Mendieta kicked a hard shot at the net during one exchange that ended up going directly at Wright. The Boro had a gut check time, though, in the 74th minute. Mark Schwarzer had picked up a knock and had to come off the pitch, bringing in reserve keeper Nash in cold for his first ever regular season action with Middlesbrough. Nash was up to the task, though. In the 86th minute, McFadden took a run deep into the right corner before sending a well-placed pass into the six-yard pass. Rooney had a clear shot at the goal, but Nash made an amazing leap to his left and sent the ball skipping back out into the goalbox. Fresi came back and cleared the ball out of danger. Gravesen also tested Nash, requiring the keeper to make a save on a free kick by the midfielder. "I couldn't be prouder of our keepers," Kieta said. "They both really came to play today. Mark continues to be solid, and to have a great backup like Carlo ready to go in a second, as he proved today, that's just a luxury." Kieta refused to comment about the play of the forwards, an area which has troubled the Boro skipper this season. Ratings officials gave both Maccarone and Ricketts lackluster 5's for their performances Saturday. Both forwards were dominated in the air by Everton's defenders, and neither ended up with a shot on goal. Speaking of domination, the scorekekeeper awarded Riggott for his similarly powerful performance in front of the Boro net, naming him the Man of the Match. Riggott was simply phenomenal, winning an amazing 35 out of 37 headers, collecting five tackles and stealing seven interceptions. The numbers alone don't even begin to flesh out just how critical the young defender's play was, as he received a 9 from the raters. The Boro will take off a couple weeks now along with most of Europe as a couple rounds of international play begins, including the continuing European Championships Qualifying. Middlesbrough's next match won't be until September 13, when they meet up at Riverside Stadium with Charlton. Four Boros Off To Internationals Four first team players discovered they had been asked to join their national sides for the critical round of international matches that will be played over the next few weeks. Defender Gareth Southgate has been called up to England's national side, centreback reserve Brian Close has been valled to action for Northern Ireland, and the Netherlands has placed winger Boudewijn Zenden on its national roster as well. All three will see action in the upcoming European Championships Qualifying. The fourth player called up was star midfielder Juninho to Brazil's powerful national side. The CONMEBOL World Cup 2006 Qualifying Round has begun for South American teams, which is earlier than any of the other continetal federation groups. CONMEBOL plays an entire fixture schedule where every national side in South America plays the others in round robin matches over the course of two seasons. Brazil's match up with Peru on September 6 and Ecuador on September 10 are the first of those matches for the 2006 World Cup. In the Euros, Southgate and England will meet FYR of Macedonia on September 6, and Liechtenshtein on September 10, the same schedule as Boro teammate Stuart Parnaby will be playing with Enbgland's Under-21 squad. Close and Northern Ireland are playing the Ukraine and Armenia on September 6 and September 10, while Zenden and the Netherlands will meet Austria and the Czech Republic on those respective dates. There is still time for more call ups before the international play resumes in a week, so other Boro players may soon find themselves on planes to support their homelands on the pitch. Interim Boro manager Matthew Kieta said he once again gave no instructions to his players, merely wishing them "the best of luck." Wheater Hurts Himself In Training Under-19 youth defender David Wheater picked up a neck injury in training Saturday. The 15-year-old centreback is expected to miss a week recuperating from the injury. |
"Coach Kieta, would you give us some insight into your youth system. We all know you speak very highly of new Boro winger Morgan, but what other young players playing on the reserves and U-19 squad excite you. Forward Niklas Nordgren has been a consistent threat for the reserves, does he have a future with the first squad?"
I just read everything in the dynasty and it took me like 4 hours(i actually went out and researched all these guys as they popped up in the dynasty). I couldnt be happier to have done it. Great dynasty Chief, once again you have enveloped me into your web of interest! |
Thanks, Blade. Glad you're liking it. Good question, too. I will be glad to toss it into the next press conference (which happens in a couple days by game time).
I may have to do some research. It's been a month (real time) since I did my last coaches' assessment of all my players (including youths). CR |
SUNDAY, August 31, 2003
FA Barclaycard Action Recap Birmingham 2, Tottenham 0 It's already apparent Birmingham could be pretty good this season--and that the Cockerels likely won't be. So Saturday was no suprise. The Blues' defense was suffoicating, limiting Tottenham to only two total shots in the match at St. Andrews. Striker Clinton Morrison scored again, getting his fifth goal in four Premiership matches. Defensive midfielder Damien Johnson also scored. Centreback Darren Purse got credit for his excellent play, garnering the Man of the Match award with 12 tackles, 18 headers and nine interceptions. Charlton 1, Blackburn 1 This match was fairly devoid of offense, putting up only nine shots to produce the two goals. The odd thing was both goals that did go through didn't happen until late. The two sides angeaged in a tough, defesnive battle until the Rovers' striker Andrew Cole scored in thew 81st minute. The fans at The Valley probably thought their Addicks would be done in by that, but three minutes later, the Addicks' own striker Cole, Carlton, scored to tie it up. As is fitting in a defensive match, fullback Luke Young of Charlton got the Man of the Match, with 18 headers, five tackles and two interceptions. Everton 0, Middlesbrough 0 For all the lack of scoring, this was a great match for shots. The Boro had 10, while the Blues put up nine in a match in which the goalkeepers for both sides played outstanding to preserve the clean sheets. Richard Wright went the whole way in net for Everton, but the Boro had to switch their goalkeepers late when Mark Schwarzer picked up a knock. His replacement, former Manchester City reserve Carlo Nash, held up just fine in his place. The Man of the Match award went to Boro defender Chris Riggott, who was dominating. He won an amazing 35 headers, to go along with five tackles and seven interceptions. Leeds 4, Portsmouth 1 Welcome to the Premiership, Pompey. Portsmouth had a good run to start its promotion to the top league of England, but the folks at Elland Road reminded them of what kind of talent they might be facing this season. Still, this match might have been different. It was just 1-1 in the 48th minute when Portsmouth midfielder Alexei Smerten would be sent off with his second yellow card. After picking up his first with a first half trip of Leeds midfielder Jody Morris, Smerten likely didn't endear himself to Pompey manager Harry Redknapp when he argued with the ref after wingback Boris Zivkovic was called for a foul on James Milner. The second card to Smerten left the Pompey a man short the rest of the way--and United took immediate advantage. Striker Cyril Chapuis scored the go ahead just two minutes later, his second goal of the game. The Pompey were forced to go at a player in the box in the 56th minute, allowing Gary Kelley to take and make a penalty. And then the event happened that the fans at Elland Road almost tore down the facilities with pure sound for: longtime defender and fan favorite Lucas Radebe--who just announced he would be retiring from football at the end of the season--scored his first ever goal in eleven years of club competition in the 62nd minute. United never looked back on a giddy evening for the home supporters. Fittingly, Radebe received the Man of the Match award, with 16 headers, three tackles, four interceptions and three fouls drawn. Leicester 2, Wolverhampton 1 The Foxes had a 1-0 lead in the 51st minute of this matchup between recent First dDivision sides, but they had a problem. Wolves winger Nathan Blake had acquired far too much attention from centreback Steve Howie, and the the defender was sent off with his second harsh foul on the Welshman. The Wolves took immediate advantage, with forward Silas tying it up just a minute later. The Foxes showed a lot of moxie, though, to press the issue even a man down. In the 57th minute, it paid off when they got a score by winger Jordan Stewart. It would turn out to be the difference maker, as Leicester held on down the stretch. The Foxes' first goal was netted by striker James Scowcraft. Howie's partner John Curtis got the Man of the Match award, with 26 headers, seven tackles and eight interceptions. Southampton 2, Aston Villa 0 A week after scoring three goals at home against powerful Arsenal, the Villans could barely amke a squeak against Southampton at St. Mary's Stadium. The visitors had just five shots to the Saints' 15, and only three of Aston Villa's shots were on goal. Southampton got first half scores from striker Kevin Phillips and midfielder Rory Delap to put this one away early, coasting to the easy victory. Fellow striker James Beattie picked up the scoreless Man of the Match, as he put up a hot on goal, an assist, a run, two tackles and 16 headers in the course of the match. Injuries & Suspensions Aston Villa goalkeeper Thomas Sorenson strained his calf early in the Southampton match. He stayed in the match, but his injury didn't hurt him much--he had nothing to do with Villa's lackluster offense. After the match, though, it woul dbe announced Sorenson would miss a week of training with the injury. Portsmouth winger Patrick Berger also strained his calf, such that he had to leave the pitch in the 59th minute of the Pompey's loss to Leeds. He will miss about ten days. The hands down winner for worst day, though, goes to Berger's teammate Alexeï Smerten. Smerten was sent off with his second yellow card after arguing a call with a referee--the kind of infraction that infuriates managers and supporters alike. His departure was key to the match, as Portsmotuh would soon fall far behind. Then after the match, Smerten discovered that his wrist was sore because he had broken it. He will miss three weeks of action with the injury. Of course, as it turns out, he may not miss any matches he wouldn't have anyway. The red card means he would automatically miss the Pompey's next match, and they don't play again for two weeks, thanks to a break for international play. He might even be back in full health for his next available match. Leicester centreback Steve Howie likely isn't on Wolves winger Nathan Blake's Christmas list. The defender obstructed Blake early int he match, earning him a yellow, and then he went in too hard on a tackle attempt on Blake in the 51st minute. This got him a second yellow card and an automatic red-card send off. Today's Matches Newcastle at Bolton Manchester City at Fulham Liverpool at Manchester United |
SUNDAY, August 31, 2003
Champions League Groupings, Fixtures Announced Arsenal, Man U Are Among Clubs Going For Europe's Top Prize Four Premiership clubs and Two Scottish Premier Division sides have a clearer view at their roads to the Champions League trophy nowq, after the eight four-team groupings were announced Saturday night. Arsenal and Celtic will get to play each other, as they have both been placed in Group A. Also in the mix there is Serie A superpower Lazio and Greek club Plympiakos, in one of the tougher groupings in this season's Champion's League. Newcastle might have an easier road, although at this point, there is really no such thing. After winning their qualifying road to get here Wednesday, Neewcastle was lumped into Group B with La Ligue One Monaco, Primera Liga club Real Sociedad and Ukrainian High League squad Shakhtar. Overall, it might be the weakest grouping in the Champions League. Chelsea, another qualifying round survivor, didn't get any favors from the Champions League. They were placed in Group F, with Serie A superpower Juventus and UEFA trophy and Super Cup champ Porto of the Portuguese Super League. Greek squad AEK Athens round out the group. Manchester United looks like the premier team in Group G. They are joined by Primera Liga side Celta, Russian Premier Division club Lokomotiv Moscow and the Bundesliga's VfB Stuttgart. Scotland's Rangers might have gotten the toughest draw of all, in arguably the toughest grouping in the Champions League this season. They will have to go up against 2001-02 Champions League holder and Primera Liga superpower Real Madrid and Dutch superpwer Ajax, in addition to Greek side PAO. Group C looks to be a solid, all-around grouping. Bundesliga top club FC Bayern headlines this one, but it won't get an easy trip from Dutch power PSV, Portuguese club Benfica or Belgian side Anderlecht. Group D is the home of current Champions League holder AC Milan of Serie A. Their toughest competition here appears to be Primera Liga squad Deportivo. Norway's Rosenborg and Turkey's Besiktas round out the group. Bundesliga power Dortmund and Serie A power Inter are the top apparent teams in Group H, a solid all around grouping. La Ligue One side Lyon and Austrian Premier Division squad Austria Vienne are also in the group. The round robins will begin on September 16-17, and not be completed until early December. |
Ugh. Celtics and Lazio are both dangerous. At least it should be doable.
Chelsea has an ugly, ugly draw. Rangers-Ajax fight off for the second spot should be interesting. |
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From what i understand, club finances and spending money are quite seperate...spending money comes from a stat all owners have, something like "WEALTH"...that from what i hav read dictates transfer money and wage money, so compare your owner to others and see...thats why everyone used to love Rushden and Diamonds, since they were a conference team rated with a perfect 20 for owner wealth...meaning you could easily outspend anyone your first few seasons in the lower divisions and build up a really solid squad.
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SUNDAY, August 31, 2003
UEFA Announces First Round Pairings Several United Kingdom Clubs Will Play In First Round Four Premiership clubs found out who will be their first challenges on the road to Europe's second most prestigious club competition. The UEFA announced pairings for 96 European clubs Saturday, setting up a 48-pairings two-leg first round that will kick off on September 24. Liverpool, Manchester City, Southampton and Blackburn were the four teams from the English leagues that made the cut. The Reds, Saints and Rovers were automatic entries into the first round, based on last year's final Premier League table and national cup results, while Manchester City had to win its way into the round via the qualifying round earlier this month. Liverpool and Blackburn both drew Polish First Division clubs. Liverpool will play Groclin while the Rovers drew GKS Katowice. Southampton will meet up with Swedish Premier Division club Malmö FF, while Manchester City will play Hapoel Tel Aviv from the Israeli Premier League. The Scottish Premier League also has two representatives in the competition. Hearts got a particularly tough draw in the Primera Liga's Valencia, while Dundee United will play the Swiss Premier League side Young Boys. TNS Networks of the Welsh Premier League isn't likely to get much of a break from Bundesliga squad Werder Bremen, while Northern Irish League Premier Division Portadown will meet up with Eridivisie club FC Nordsjælland. The Irish Premier Division also had two entries in Bohemians and Shelbourne. The Bohemians will play Russian Premier Division squad Torpedo Moscow, while Shelbourne has a matchup with Serie A squad Udinese. The 96 clubs come from a number of different sources. Sixteen clubs come from the losing end of the third qualifying round of the Champions League. Thirty-six squads were given automatic entries from some of the top leagues in Europe. Three additional squads won the three bids available to the victorious finalists of the Inter-Toto Cup. And the final 41 teams won trhough to the first round from the UEFA qualifying round, completed last week. |
Yeah, you and Chelsea didn't get easy draws at all. By comparison, I think Man U is practically getting a bye into the single elimination rounds.
That Rangers group is just really tough. I think Ajax-Rangers will be an interesting one to watch, too. That makes sense about owner wealth and club finances. For instance, I don't think anyone doubts that Man U makes a ton more money than Chelsea every year, thanks to the higher competitions they are generally in and the fact that they are, simply, the richest club in the world (in any sport). But Chelsea has that crazy Russian guy as their owner. He's probably more individually wealthy than anyone connected with manchester Untied, and it's apparent he's willing to spend that money. That's why the Yankees are so scary. They combine a wealthy owner who doesn't give a crap about how much money he spends with the most lucrative baseball team in the MLB (and, I assume, the baseball world). Interesting note for anyone who doesn't have the game yet. I have now reached the post-trnasfer window time, and things run significantly faster. This doesn't surprise me much, though, since it makes sense. But I think the game is running at least two times faster now than it did before. CR |
MONDAY, September 1, 2003
FA Barclaycard Action Recap Bolton 0, Newcastle 0 Bolton continues to pull off improbable success, despite the numbers saying otherwise. Ten days after the Wanderers surprised Chelsea at home, 2-1, they held Newcastle goalless, despite allowing 12 shots, eight on goal. In return, Bolton itself had just six total shots, with only one of them coming anywhere near the Magpies' net. Bolton keeper Jussi Jääskeläinen was unbeatable today, gaining the Man of the Match award for his efforts. By comparison, Magpie goalkeeper Steve Harper was almost bored in earning his clean sheet. Manchester City 2, Fulham 0 Where's Maik Taylor when you need him? While Taylor is playing well as Birmingham's starter while on loan from Fulham, remaining keeper Edwin van der Sar hasn't played all that well, and he had to leave Sunday's match with City in the 14th minute with a calf strain. Former Middlesbrough keeper Mark Crossley came in cold and gave up the difference-maker just a couple minutes later, to City striker Antoine Sibierski. The visitors didn't score again until forward Jon Macken put one in in the 87th minute, but the Cottagers never seemed to be in this one. Man City outshot Fulham 16-8, and only one Cottager shot even came on goal. Centreback David Sommeill played a big role in Manchester City's tough defense, netting the Man of the Match award with seven tackles, 10 headers and 14 interceptions. Manchester United 2, Liverpool 0 Forward Paul Scholes couldn't beat Jerzy Dudek one on one, so he decided to beat him when everyone had a shot at the ball. Scholes took a penalty kick in the 37th minute that the Reds' Dudek sent back out into the box. The golkeeper then sent back Scholes' next shot. But third time was the charm, as Scholes bounced on his second straight rebound and finally put in the score. It turned out to be the game-winner in a tight defensive match between two of the top powers in the world. For all their talent, the Reds couldn't get anything going against the Red Devils' defense in front of a hostile crowd at Old Trafford. They managed just four shots, with only one coming near Man U keeper Tim Howard. The home squad, though, took 12 shots, nine on goal. Winger Ryan Giggs put it away with his goal in the 66th minute. Giggs' goal and the five runs he went on to key the offense earned him the Man of the Match award. Injuries & Suspensions Fulham goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar suffered a calf sprain, and will be out for a week. In the same match, Manchester City striker Antoine Sibierski broke his wrist, and will miss ten days. In Bolton, Newcastle lost midfielder Jermaine Jenas to a sprained ankle. He is expected to be off from training for ten days. No one was sent off Sunday. Tonight's Match Chelsea at Arsenal Transfer Deadline Passes The first UEFA transfer window of the season passed Sunday night with no action from English Premier Division squads. The next window opens on January 1, 2004. |
TUESDAY, September 2, 2003
FA Barclaycard Action Recap Arsenal 2, Chelsea 0 The Gunners remain the only unbeaten, undrawn club in the Premiership after defeating Chelsea at Anfield Monday evening. In fact, only one other side, Newcastle, has yet to lose after four matches, and they have been drawn twice. Arsenal outplayed the Blues to the tune of a 12 to five shots advantage, but it didn't turn out to be an easy one. The score remained knotted up at zero until the last ten minutes of the match. Winger Mikel Arteta finally solved Chelsea keeper Carlo Cudicini in the 80th minute. Striker Jérémie Aliadière put it away eight minutes later with his first score of the season, and his first appearance since he was linked to a possible transfer to Middlesbrough. Cudicini got the Man of the Match award for his stalwart work in front of the net. FA Barclaycard Premiership Table Code:
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TUESDAY, September 2, 2003
Poyet Announces Retirement The Tottenham Forward Will Hang Them Up At The End Of The Season LONDON-- Tottenham Hotspur forward Gustavo Poyet announced Monday that this would be his last season in football. "It's time to move on and begin the rest of my life," the 35-year-old Uruguayan attacking midfielder said. "I have had a good run, but it's clear I have reache dthe end of the line." Poyet wouldn't confirm it, but it is believed by many observers that his relegation to Tottenham's reserve squad has dispirited Poyet's desire to continue. Poyet scored five goals in 28 matches with the Cockerels last season, breaking a four-season streak of double-digit goal seasons. The veteran earned a reputation for toughness and savvy in six seasons in the Premiership. Poyet has appeared in two matches for the Cockerel reserves so far this season. The forward has been with Tottenham for two seasons, following four seasons with Chelsea. He came to Stamford Bridge from Zaragoza in the Primera Liga, where he played for seven seasons. Poyet has scored 114 goals in 406 career appearances. He has also appeared in 35 matches for his native Uruguay, scoring three goals. "He's doing what he thinks needs to be done," Tottenham manager David Pleat said. "He's been in this league for a while, and has been a fine player for the Cockerels." Pleat said he couldn't guarantee that Poyet would see first team action, but he would consider it should the opportunity arise. |
WEDNESDAY, September 3, 2003
Quashie Wants First Team Football PORTSMOUTH-- A year ago, Nigel Quashie was an important part of a Portsmouth squad on its way to First Division success and promotion to the Premiership. Now he feels the cluib owes him a first team spot. "I bled with these guys," Quashie said Tuesday. "All I want is to get on the pitch and show what I can do. Playing at this level is a dream of mine." Quashie said he doesn't expect to be on the pitch for every match, but he is concerned that he isn't even made a single appearance yet for the squad in four matches so far. Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp said he wasn't about to change the first eleven composition at Quashie's request. "I understand Nigel's frustration," the manager said. "But there are better ways to go about this. Talking to you guys was the last thing he should have done." Redknapp said the timing of Quashie's statement is odd given that fellow midfielder Alexeï Smerten will have to miss the Pompey's next match after being thrown out out of the squad's match with Leeds Saturday. The absence of Smerten will likely mean Quashie will see the pitch against Leicester on September 13. Quashie said he wanted to stay with the club, and that he just wanted to get a chance to play with the first team. The midfielder appeared in 42 matches with Portsmouth last season, scoring five goals. The 25-year-old has started for the Pompey for three seasons prior to this year, scoring 12 goals in 108 appearances. Morgan and Downing Return To Practice Boro wingers Lionel Morgan and Stuart Downing returned to practice Wednesday from injury. Morgan's arrival in training will be his first such appearance since he was transferred in from First Division side Wimbledon early last month. Morgan has been sidelined for two months with a knee injury. Interim Boro manager Matthew Kieta said last week that while Morgan would eventually see time with the first team, he would start with the reserves to get into form and receive some match experience. Downing also returned Tuesday from a foot injury that shelved him for two weeks. He suffered the injury in Middlesbrough's season opening 3-1 victory over Tottenham. Downing's injury was a blow to the 19-year-old winger, who had won at least part time first eleven duty ont he wing after a strong preseason. Kieta said Downing would practice with the first team and that he expected him to be available for the Boro's next match, against Charlton on September 13. |
Glad to see The Huns get put in the toughest group. I will enjoy watching them get pummeled. ;)
Little worried that Celtic has to fight off Arsenal and Lazio. That won't be an easy grouping at all. Great start to the season though! Boro looking like they could do some damage this year. |
WEDNESDAY, September 3, 2003
Kieta: Scoring Strikers Will Play MIDDLESBROUGH-- Frustrated at continuing inconsistent play up front and his failure to bring in a top line striker for the squad, interim Boro manager Matthew Kieta said the guys who play the best and score will be on the pitch the most. "Potential isn't worth much if you don't turn it into something tangible with hard work and experience," Kieta said at his weekly press conference Tuesday. In an apparent effort to lessen the impact, Kieta refused to use names, but it seems clear he was referring to the iffy contributions of younger strikers like Massimo Maccarone and Michael Ricketts against a more savvy veteran like Jospeh-Désiré Job. Maccarone has been rated a 5 or lower by ratings experts twice in the Boro's first two matches, and Ricketts was equally bad Saturday in Everton, a match in which the Boro failed to score a goal in a 0-0 draw. In a match against Fulham last week, Job and attacking midfielder Juninho started up front and produced three goals between them. "At some point, I have to stop waiting for the talent to surface and start playing the guys who can get it done now," Kieta said. Despite that, the manager said all of the strikers on the squad would continue to see major playing time. The manager said he was "very frustrated" he couldn't bring in another scorer to help out. "I really thought we had [Jimmy Floyd] Hasselbaink wrapped up," Kieta said, referring to a failed attempt to bring the Dutch striker over from Chelsea last week. Hasselbaink ended up moving to Dutch power Ajax. Kieta also made runs at Colombian striker Jauro Fernando Castillo and Arsenal's Jérémie Aliadière, but wasn't successful. The first transfer window officially passed Sunday evening. "We have the players here," Kieta said. "I'm sure we'll be fine scoring goals once we settle on a definite first-eleven." Kieta also addressed the youth areas of the club Tuesday, an area he has been reticent to speak about at past press conferences. "I think we have a handful of good players on the way up," Kieta said. "But I don't feel we had an especially strong reserve squad or youth program, at least in ure youthful talent. It's an area that needed and still needs to be upgraded. The manager said the purchases of young Wimbledon players winger Lionel Morgan, defender Mikele Leigertwood, and defensive midfielder Dean Lewington were a big step in the right direction. He also said that a number of key young players, such as centreback Chris Riggott and winger Stuart Downing, are already making big contributions with the first team. "These are the kinds of players this club could be built on in the future," Kieta said. "But we need to bring in more help." Among key reserves, Kieta also noted that defensive midfielder Stuart Parnaby and centreback Andrew Davies both looked like they had brigh futures witht he club. Among the Under-19s, the manager said he was "excited by the abilities" of young strikers Niklas Nordgren and Danny Graham. "Nordgren is already showing he is far advanced from other kids his age," Kieta said. He also said the coaching staff has been thinking of moving Nordgren up to the reserve squad. "Graham isn't at Nordgren's level, technically," Kieta said of the younger striker. "But he has great physical skills and some other abilities that you don't see in strikers too often. In fact, we might switch him to winger at some point in the future. He might have much more upside there." Kieta refused to single out any of the other youth players, saying he was still himself learning what kind of abilities they have. None of the Under-19s and very few of the reserves saw first team action in the preseason, and the two reserve clubs have yet to play more than a small handful of matches. The manager said he wasn't going to relax the gas pedal on team training just because several team members will be away at international matches this weekend and next week. "This is a great time to reform the squad and get some good, hard training in," Kieta said. "With some of our top players gone, it's also an opportunity for some of the reserves and backups to make more noise about seeing time ont he pitch." Boro regulars Juninho, centreback Gareth Southgate, and winger Boudewijn Zenden are all with their national teams, as are backups defender Brian Close and Parnaby. The Boro are off until September 13, when they meet Charlton at Riverside Stadium. |
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I'm still learning club names. Which one is the Huns? Bayern? Dortmund? The only thing I really know about the Bundesliga is I like the league name (it sounds cool). :) It should be fun seeing you and daedalus muck it up here when those two sides (Arsenal and Celtic, that is) are scheduled to meet up. I'll be sure to let you guys know. ;) I certainly hope you're right about the outlook for the Boro. Really, we haven't played anyone very strong. The best was Birmingham, and what do you know, they beat us. I'm not one of the ones who thinks Everton is going to be anything (at least not in-game). What's really funny is I don't think Charlton is very strong either, and they are our next opponent. It's like someone is loading our early schedule. Kinda makes me worried what will follow it. I can see it now (no, I haven't looked): @Arsenal, Man U, Chelsea, @Newcastle, Arsenal, @Liverpool, Blackburn, @Man U, etc. :) CR |
THURSDAY, September 4, 2003
Downing Is Target Of Lower Leagues MIDDLESBROUGH-- Reports are surfacing that as many as four clubs have made loan offers for young left winger Stewart Downing, who recently returned from injury. "Downing is not available," interim Boro manager Matthew Kieta said Wednesday. "I don't know why anyone even thinks he is." Kieta said he turned down loan offers from First Division Reading and Second Division Bournemouth Wednesday, and that he thought he might see more offers. "Stewart has earned a role with our first team here," Kieta said. "I have no desire to move a key part of our first eleven." With Boudewijn Zenden on loan from Chelsea, and other options at left wing, like Wimbledon transfer Lionel Morgan and wingback Franck Queudreu, it might have been thought by some clubs that the talented 19-year-old Downing could be had, at least on loan. Kieta said he remains open to all offers for players at Middlesbrough. "I don't want to shut anything out, because you never know when something is going to come along that just can't be turned down," Kieta said. "But if I am not actively looking to move a guy, I probably won't be interested." Mendieta, Németh Called Up To National Teams Two more Boro players were called up to their national teams Wednesday. Midfielder Gaizka Mendieta will play with Spain, while Szilard Németh was placed on Slovakia's national roster. Both national teams will be playing in European Championships Qualifying Round matches over the next week. Spain will meet the Ukraine on September 10, while Slovakia will play FYR of Macedonia. The two players join previous Boro call-ups defender Gareth Southgate (England), Zenden (Netherlands), centreback Brian Close (Northern Ireland), midfielder Juninho (Brazil), and defensive midfielder Stuart Parnaby (England Under-21s). All but Juninho will be playing in the Euros Qualifying. The midfielder will instead be playing in the opening matches of the CONMEBOL's qualifying fixture for the 2006 World Cup. The South American national federation holds a two-year-plus fixture schedule where all national sides will play each other home-and-home to determine its entrants to the World Cup. All are expected to be back with Middlesbrough when the club resumes Premiership action, against Charlton on September 13. |
THURSDAY, September 4, 2003
Bolton's Johnson Wants First Team Action BOLTON-- Bolton winger Jermaine Johnson told the Guardian Wednesday that he feels he should be playing witht he first team. "I think it's time to see what I can do," Johnson was reported to have told the paper. Johnson has yet to see regular time with the Wanderers, but is considered a bright talent for the future. The 23-year-old pacey Jamaican appeared in two matches with Bolton last season, and 10 in 2001-02, going scoreless. Most of Johnson's playing time the past two seasons has come on the Wanderers' reserve squad. Johnson's public bid for first team time comes just two days after Portsmouth midfielder Nigel Quashie made a similar request. Unlike Johnson, Quashie is an established former starter of the Pompey. In Bolton, Johnson appears to be stuck behind the club's big wing acquisition in talented Greek midfielder Stelios Giannakopoulos. the 29-year-old capped veteran has started at right wing for the Wanderers in all four of their matches so far, with no goals. Manager Sam aAllardyce said he has placed Johnson on loan availability to get the young player some first team time elsewhere. "The squad is better with Stelios right now," Allardyce said. "Jermaine is the future, but we're going a different direction this season. We need him to go somewhere where he can get some experience, and then come back to us ready to contribute next year." Johnson has appeared in six matches with Jamaica, and is with the reserves in Bolton again this season. |
FRIDAY, September 5, 2003
Boro Sign Murphy To Extension WATFORD-- Defensive midfield prospect David Murphy, currently on loan with First Division Watford, agreed to a contract extension Thursday to stay with Middlesbrough through 2006. The 19-year-old will be paid £110,000 this season, with 10% annual increases to 2006. Murphy is considered a future fullback for the Boro, but is "still at least a year or two away", interim Boro manager Matthew Kieta said Thursday. Murphy's original contract was set to expire six months from Monday earlier this week, which made Murphy available via Bosman transfer. Middlesbrough wrapped the prospect up, though, before any other clubs had approached him. Murphy has been playing both midfielder and wingback with Watford so far this season. He is scoreless in five league match appearances, but has a solid 6.80 rating and has drawn five fouls. Murphy is serving out a three-month loan with Watford which ends on October 10. Kieta said Murphy will liekly not be the only Boro inked to extensions in the next couple months. Reserve striker Chris Garbutt and midfielder Gary Smith are both currently within six monthds of their contract release point, but have yet to be approached for transfer, and are not expected to receive extension offers from Middlesbrough either. Several key first teamers, though, including versatile forward Joseph-DésiréJob and injured centreback Ugo Ehiogu are up for contract renewals at the end of the season. |
SATURDAY, September 6, 2003
Euro Champ Quals Begin Anew Today England Will Meet FYR of Macedonia In Skopje SKOPJE, Macedonia-- The European Championships Qualifying Ruund will take the first of a critical two steps today when national teams from all around Europe meet again to continue their quests to Europe's top international prize. England will play FYR of Macedonia in Skopje today, in its fifth match of its Group Seven fixture. England can clinch at least a spot in the playoff in November if it beats Macedonia today. England is currently second in the group with 13 points. Group leader Turkey sits at 15 points, but have played one more match than England. Slovakia has six points in six matches. Macedonia has five points in six matches. Leichtein stein, England's opponent on Wednesday, is dead last with just one point in five matches. The top club in each group will receive an automatic bid to the European Championships next season, being held in Portugal. The second place club in each of the ten groups will compete ina playoff in November for the few remaining spots in the tourney. The European Championship is played every four years, two years opposite of the World Cup. In Group Five, Scotland is in the fight of its life. Powerful Germany leads the wayy--just varely--at 11 points. Surprising Iceland sits at 10 points and inm second place, with Scotland third at eight points. Scotland can't easily look back easily either, since Lithuania is sitting at seven points. The Faroe Islands are the dog of the group, at two points. Scotland could get a boost today from playing the Faroe Islands in Glasgow, while Iceland hosts Germany. It doesn't get easier for the Scots, though--they meet Germany on Wednesday. Wales is tied with Italy atop Group Nine with 10 points, but they are far from out of the woods. Surprising Serbia & Montengro sits in third with eight points, while Finland lurks in fourth with six points. Even Azerbaijan isn't out of it, at four points. Wales has the unenviable task of meeting up with Italy in Rende. One United Kingdom nation that does certainly seem out of it is Northern Ireland. They had the poor luck of ending up in Group Six with Greece and Spain, and have just two points. They are even behind Armenia, with four points. Greece leads the group with 12 points, while Spain is just behind them with 11. The Ukraine is putting up a good show with nine points. Northern Ireland is in Kiev today to play Ukraine. Ireland is currently in second place in Group Ten with 10 points. They are behind the Swiss, with 12 points. Russia has seven points, with Albania at five and Georgia at four following up the rear. The Irish host the Russians in Dublin today, in a key match between the second and third place sides in the group. The other groups are all in various stages of completion as well. In Group One, European Championship holders and FIFA's top-ranked European squad France is dominating, with five wins in five matches. They easily lead the group with 15 points. Slovenia is a surprising second at 10 points, with Israel at eight and Cyprus at seven hot on their tail. Malta remains pointless at the bottom. In Group Two, there is shaping up to be an intriguing three-team battle. Denmark leads with 13 points, but they are just ahead of Norway with 11 and Romania with 10. Even Bosnia isn't out of it with six points. Little Luxembourg has no points yet in this group. Group Three looked like it would be a run away for Holland, but the Dutch are getting a big fight from the Czech Republic. Both teams have 13 points. Austria isn't far behind, at nine points. Moldova and Belarus are fighting for last place with three points apiece. Group Four is completely up in the air. Sweden and Hungary are tied on top with 11 points, but surprising Latvia is right behind them with 10 points. Disappointing Poland is also still very much in it with seven points. Last place San Marino just wants to score a goal, any goal. Bulgaria leads Group Eight with 11 points. They are just ahead of Belgium and Croatia with 10 points. The Belgians have not played well in a group in which they were favorites. Estonia is also still looking very solid with eight points, while Andorra is the sacrificial lamb, with zero points. All ten groups have fixtures today and Wednesday. The group fixtures wrap up in October. |
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The Huns is a term of endearment for Rangers and their supporters. The only thing that rivals seeing Celtic win is seeing Rangers lose. ;) I'm going to have a hard time talking much smack to daedalus about our teams playing, because I can't imagine Celtic giving Arsenal a game. They're just way out of our league. I'm putting my hopes on us beating Lazio and getting that 2nd spot. I ran into the same thing with my Wolves career I'm running. I got frontloaded with easy games so I had abnormally high expectations, and they came crashing down very quickly. I recently got addicted to watching the whole game play out in 2D. Adds a whole new level to the game. Slows things up just a tiny bit though. |
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I should have guessed it would be the Rangers. I knew you guys were rivals, of course, but I was thrown by the Germanic reference of the name you call 'em. :) You're probably right about Arsenal. They just seem to be incredible so far this season. Pinning your hopes on Lazio, though, ouch. That's not easy either. I mean, I have Mendieta on loan from Lazio because they don't need him anymore! Sure, they ain't Milan or Juventus, but that's a tough cookie to crack there. I'm rooting for all British Isles teams, though, so I will be rooting for you. :) I'm trying to keep my expectations low key. At least with Wolves, you are just recently promoted. The Boro are actually expected to be halfway decent. I have a reasonable expectation that if I keep morale high and the right players in the mix, I can stay in the top ten. Still, it's not going to be as easy as this early fixture would like to make me think. I have watched some key matches in the past all the way through, but none yet in this dynasty. In fact, I think the times I have done it were in my other Boro dynasty (the one that didn't get written about, using CM4). It was a very informative and fun experience, but, yeah, time constraints mean I can't (or shouldn't) do it so often. CR |
SUNDAY, September 7, 2003
England Drawn By Macedonia Frustration Sets In For National Squad As Qualifier Hopes Dim SKOPJE, Macedonia-- England didn't lose, but it might as well have. Saturday's 0-0 draw with the surprising FYR of Macedonia has put England a difficult four points behind group leader Turkey in the European Championships Qualifying Group Seven table with two matches to go. The Brits did everything they could do against Macedonia except score on Saturday. They outshot and generally dominated the Macedonians 12-2, and allowed just one shot on goal in front of 24,622 at Gradski Stadion. The road team didn't really get rolling until the second half, but by then, Macedonia keeper Oka Nikolov, who plays with Frankfurt of the Bundesliga, had already ensconched himself in front of a tough defense led by centreback Igor Mitreski of the Primera Liga's Osasuna. In the 50th minute, English winger Owen Hargreaves of Valencia sent a high crossing pass into the penalty area from the right corner. Liverpool star Michael Owen ended up with the ball just a mere couple yards from the goal, but his shot bounced right off of Nikolov and away from the goal, where it was promptly cleared. In the 75th minute, Newcastle winger Kieran Dyer took a pass from fullback Gary Neville of Manchester United and charged toward the right end of the penalty area. Having put some space between himself and the Macedonian defenders, Dyer unleashed a harsh in-swerving strike at the near post. Nikolov was well-placed, though, reaching up and batting the shot away to the left with his fingertips. Neville came hard up on the rebound, but his shot went right at Nikolov, who was closing the space between them. The Frankfurt goalkeeper clutched the shot to end the scoring chance. Aston Villa striker Darius Vassell had a terrific chance in the 89th minute. Midfielder Paul Scholes of Manchester United sent a high pass into an area in front of the right end of the penalty area. Vassell got above fullback Robert Popov, from Bulgarian side Litex, and headed the ball forward toward the outer penalty line. Vassell displayed his amazing physical ability by then beating a crowding group of Macedonia defenders to the ball and sent a high, unobstructed shot at the net. Unfortunately for Vassell, he put it too high, and the ball went sailing over the crossbar. "It was just a very frustrating match," Owen said after the match. "I didn't play well at all. How could I miss that one early in the second half?" England's manager Sven-Göran Eriksson wasn't as harsh on the striker as Owen himself was, even though football raters put his performance at a 4 for the match. "It was a tough, physical match, and the Macedonians came to play," Eriksson said. "We all have bad matches. Owen's was today. With a match in hand and a match against the Turks, we are still in prime position to catch them. The qualifier is still ours for the taking." To do so, though, England will have to put up a better effort against Leichtenstein on Wednesday. While no one thinks the little country can compete with England, FIFA's seventh-ranked national team in the world, no one thought Macedonia could either. If England defeats Leichtenstein on Wednesday, that would set up a winner-take-all between England and Turkey in Istanbul in October. Turkey, which edged out Liechtenstein 1-0 on the road Saturday, has 18 points with only the England match left to play. England, at 14 points, can move to 17 points with a win over Liechtenstein Wednesday. The true importance of the Macedonia draw might be in England's room for error, which shrunk significantly Saturday. Had the Brits won, and then defeated Liechtenstein, they would be a point up on Turkey going into the final match, allowing a draw to give them the qualifier spot. Now that draw goes to Turkey, meaning that England will be required to defeat Turkey in Istanbul to get the automatic spot to next season's European Championships. Both Turkey and England had already at least clinched spots in the playoff for the remaining bids to the tourney in November, as the top two sides in the group. With the draw, Macedonia moves up to six points and a tie with idle Slovakia. Liechtenstein has one point. |
SUNDAY, September 7, 2003
British Isles Disappoints At Euro Quals Only The Scots Could Be Said To have Had A Good Day On a day when the English got a draw with Macedonia, and the Irish stumbled by drawing at home with Russia, Scotland was the only bright side in the British Isles after another round of action in the European Championship Qualifying on Saturday. Scotland defeated the Faroe Islands handily, 4-0, in Glasgow, which isn't a surprise. What will have the Scots smiling today, though, was Germany's road win over Iceland, allowing Scotland to climb over the surprising island nation for second place in Group Five. Scotland entered the day at eight points, two back of Iceland for that critical second place spot. Powerful Germany led the group with 11 points. By winning, Scotland moves up to 11 points, one ahead of Iceland, and into second place, and they can still catch Germany when the two sides meet in Berlin on Wednesday. Idle Lithuania has seven points and the Faroe Islands just two after Saturday's action. As expected, Wales had a tough match to play against host Italy, and they did fall, 2-1, in Group Nine action. Wales came into the day leading the group with 12 points, but Italy's win vaults them over the Welsh and into first place with 13 points. Italy came into group play as the heavy favorite. Finland beat Azerbaijan, 5-0, to move up to nine points and within a win's range of Wales for the key second place spot. Wales will host Finland in Cardiff on Wednesday, in what could be the key match of the group for both sides. Serbia & Montengro was idle, but remains in it as well, with eight points. Azerbaijan has four points. The Northern Irish continued to play a patsy in Group Six. They remained in last place when the Ukraine beat them, 3-0, in Kiev Saturday. They have just two points. The Ukraine's win sets up an interesting match on Wednesday with Spain. Idle Spain fell to third place with 11 points, as the Ukrainians used the win over Northern Ireland to move into second place with 12 points. The two teams play each other in Spain on Wednesday. Group leader Greece defeated Armenia, 3-2, to move up to 15 points, but they haven't clinched a spot yet. Armenia joins Northern Ireland in the Group Six doldrums with four points. The Irish missed a terrific opportunity to jump into first place in Group Ten when they allowed themselves to be drawn, 1-1, at home by Russia. Ireland entered the day at 10 points, two behind group leader Switzerland, which was idle. A win would have moved Ireland past the Swiss. Instead, the draw merely moves the Irish one point closer to Switzerland, and gives the Swiss a match in hand, as Ireland will be idle on Wednesday while the rest of the group plays. The draw also gives an opportunity to Russia, which remained three points back of Ireland after Saturday's action. Should the Russians defeat Switzerland at home Wednesday, they would place themselves in prime position to steal a playoff spot from either of the two others, who are scheduled to meet in the final fixture round in October. Georgia could also still play its way into things, after beating Albania 1-0 to move up to seven points. Albania has five points. Other Group Results France's easy 5-0 defeat of Cyprus, coupled with Slovenia's 3-1 home loss to Israel has clinched Group One's automatic qualifier for the defending European Champion. The dominating squad, which has yet to lose a match in group action, has 18 points. Israel's win moves them into the key second place spot with 11 points, one ahead of Slovenia, which put its own hopes at grave risk by losing at home to the Israelis. The Cypriots' loss essentially puts them out of the running, while idle Malta did about as good Saturday as it could have done by simply not losing--they have zero points. Norway's 3-1 win over Bosnia moved them up to first in Group Two with 14 points, while Romania's 4-0 shutout of Luxembourg placed them in a tie with idle former group leader Denmark at 13 points. The two sides will meet in a critical tête-à-tête on Wednesday, while Norway will be idle. Bosnia has six points and Luxembourg no points at all. Holland got the advantage in the upcoming key matchup with the Czech Republic Wednesday when the Dutch defeated Austria 3-0 in Saturday's action, while the fellow Group Three leader Czechs were drawn by Belarus, 2-2. The win moves Holland into first place with 16 points, while the Czechs drop to second with 14. The only spot left up for grabs, though, is the automatic qualifier to the first place side; Austria's loss clinched playoff spots for both Holland and the Czech Republic. Belarus has four points, while Moldava brings up the rear with three. Saturday's action did little clear up the glut in Group Four, where four teams still look quite capable of ending up with a berth in the Euros. Sweden took a big step in beating San Marino, 5-0, and moving into a three-point lead for first place over idle Hungary. Latvia missed a chance to stick itself right in the midst of things by falling at home to Poland, 3-1. Not only did the loss keep Latvia in third behind Sweden, it allowed the Poles to move into a tie with it. Four teams are within four points of each other, with two more rounds to go. Former Group Eight favorite Belgium didn't play Saturday, as they were idle. But the day couldn't have gone much worse for them. Group leader Bulgaria beat Estonia, 4-1, to move up to 14 points, a four-point lead over the Belgians. And Croatia handily defeated Andorra, 4-0, moving them out of a tie with Belgium and into sole possession of second place with 13 points. Estonia's loss puts them out of the running with eight points, while Andorra has no points. France is the only country to have locked up an automatic berth, besides 2004 European Championships host Portugal, which receives an automatic bid into the tourney. Holland, Germany, the Czech Republic, Turkey, England and Bulgaria have all locked up playoff berths. |
Ohh, Sven could be getting himself into trouble here! Macedonia?
Ireland let me down also, but that's become pretty common. Dang it Chief, you're going to make me start up a CM Dynasty of my own soon. Got all these ideas floating through my head now, great stuff. I really like the style. I can do my daily checks of Soccer365.com, SkySports, and Chief's dynasty. Can't beat that. |
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SUNDAY, September 7, 2003
Orchard Nabs A Hat For Under-19s The Young Boro Forward Helps Youths Dominate Macclesfield, 4-0 BILLINGHAM-- With the first team on something of a two-week break for international play, and seemingly half the side either deep in training or playing for their national teams, there was little action going on a soggy Saturday in Boro-land. But don't tell that to forward Tom Orchard. The 17-year-old prospect lit up Third Division Macclesfield's Under-19s at The Stadium in Billngham on Satiurday, scoring three straight first half goals for the natural hat trick. Orchard scored in the eighth, 21st and 29th minutes, getting a few hats tossed out at him from the small crowd of 675 that came to watch. Fellow forward Jason Kennedy moved the score up to its final tally with a goal in the 41st minute. Orchard's heroics masked an exquisite defensive performance by the Boro, which did not allow a single shot, on goal or otherwise, to Macclesfield. Orchard said it was a happy day for him and for the Under-19s. "I just hope we showed Mister [Matthew] Kieta that there's more talent here than he thinks," Orchard said, in a barb at the Boro manager's reference to the club's youth system as being weak on talent last week. The Boro Under-19s have won two straight after opening their fixture with a 3-1 loss to Morecambe. |
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I'm way too impatient for that. I think I might try out a few leagues and tossing in some ddt files though. Either way, Chief is an evil, evil man. |
ddt files?
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I AM THE DEVIL! :D
Glad you guys can be so tempted. ;) Seriously, though, thanks for the compliments. GE, I can't tell ya how to run your dynasty, but I must admit having all the leagues running is a lot of fun. The only thing I am complaining about with my set up right now is that maybe I should have put a few more leagues on full detail, so I could click on some key matchups in the Champions League and in the national matches. And, of course, I don't like having half-ass MLS rosters and no Adu. But I digress... Dundee is still looking good. It's interesting to follow your dynasty in light of the comments being made about finances in football in the UK in the GD forum. Plus, imitation is the highest form of flattery, is it not? :) Speaking of which, I believe Kilmarnock is leading the Scottish Premier League currently in my dynasty, five matches in. Go figure. In case you guys are wondering, I will be giving updates on how things are going in other major European leagues, all of the top British Isle leagues, and all of England's leagues down to the Nationwide Conference. My plan is to do this at the end of each month (I'll find a newspaper "excuse" to do it ;) ), witht he first round of it coming at the end of September. Calis, that was a stunning draw to Macedonia. I agree with owen--no way he should have missed that shot. In real life, everyone but Reds fans would be on his case right now (and the game did say the English fans weren't happy). But I am guessing if England beats Turkey, or even if they lose but get in via the playoff, everyone will be fine. Now, if the Brits miss out on the Euros...ouch... :eek: CR |
I'll let Calis explain ddt files. Since I went with all the leagues running on large database, I didn't have to worry about that, but it's basically a work around for using smaller databases, but having a lot of players available.
That would allow you to run more leagues, I am guessing, IIRC. I just remember being confused by how to do it. It involves the ARSE file, I believe. CR |
I just started a game with all the leagues running. We will see how that goes....
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Good luck! :)
CR |
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I'm getting ready to start up my dynasty as well. I just don't think I have the guts for running all of them on my PC. I'll run more than usual though me thinks. Going to try switching up things a little and mess with some .edt files. Time to make my wish come true. ;) As for Owen screwing up the game, that's pretty much on par with how he's been performing irl. Guy appears to have just lost it. I've watched him play a couple times the last few weeks and he looks like he doesn't want to be there. Playing very poorly. Chief pretty much explained DDT files as far as I get them. It just adds all the players of a country without running the league. It's actually real easy to do, as I just dl'ed a zip with each country's .ddt in there, so I just unzip them and from the Game Preferences screen I check which ones I want to use. It doesn't appear you need that now though. |
I see now what you mean by having your wish come true. Good louck with the dynasty. To you, too, GE. Meanwhile, I am moving on here...
CR |
SUNDAY, September 7, 2003
CONMEBOL World Cup Qualifying Opens Ten South American nations began the world's longest run to football's premier national prize, the 2006 World Cup, on Saturday. CONMEBOL, which governs South American football, hosts a round robin fixture across two years to determine what teams get the continent's automatic bids. FIFA's top-ranked Brazil looked like it was headed for a surprising opening draw with Peru, the 67th-ranked team, when young star winger Alex scored on a penalty in the 89th minute. He added to that just a minute later, and Brazil escaped with a key 2-0 win. Argentina wasn't so lucky. The 4th-ranked team in the world went to 21st-ranked Paraguay, where the two sides ended up drawing 1-1. In other matches, 71st-ranked Chile upset 38th-ranked Ecuador 3-2; 24th-ranked Colombia opened its fixture with a disappointing 1-1 home draw of 57th-ranked Venzuela; and 27th-ranked Uruguay crushed 109th-ranked Bolivia 4-0. Another round of matches will be played on Wednesday before the competition takes a two-month break. |
MONDAY, September 8, 2003
Parnaby: 'I Want First Team' MIDDLESBROUGH-- Boro defender Stuart Parnaby told The Sunday Times that he is concerned about being left off of the Middlesbrough first team. "I played a significant role on last season's team," Parnaby said from the practice pitch for the England Under-21 squad Monday. "I don't feel I have done anything to deserve being placed on the reserve squad this season." Parnaby, who can play both defender and defensive midfielder, appeared in 21 matches with Middlesbrough last season, going scoreless. The 21-year-old is thought to be an up-and-coming young player by some football observers. Parnaby saw time in four of the Boro's preseason friendlies, but has been on the reserve squad since the season opener. He has also appeared in three matches with the reserves. Parnaby has yet to be rated under a 7 by football raters in any of his seven appearances. Interim Boro manager Matthew Kieta was unavailable for comment Sunday. Parnaby is a little used reserve with the England Under-21 squad. The national youth team beat FYR of MAcedonia, 3-2, on Friday, and host Leichtenstein Tuesday at Wembley Stadium in London. |
TUESDAY, September 9, 2003
Kieta Says Parnaby Important Part Of Squad The Boro Manager Speaks With Defender About Role MIDDLESBROUGH-- Part of the tricks managers have to pull every season is roughing over the edges when a player gets out of line or upset. Interim Boro manager Matthew Kieta has already dealt with a few of those in this early season. Monday, he had a talk with defender Stuart Parnaby about comments Parnaby made to the media concerning his role with the Boro this season. "I told Stuart he is an important part of this club, now and in the future," Kieta said. "He told me he understands and trusts that I will call him up when I feel he is ready." On Sunday, Parnaby told The Times that he wanted first team football at Middlesbrough. The defender has been on the reserve squad since the beginning of the season. Kieta said he was straight-forward with Parnaby. "He has a lot of talent, but right now, we're set on our backline," Kieta said. "The guys ahead of him are veterans, used to first team play. He is still young and I want him to see regular match experience, which he wouldn't get with the first team." Parnaby said he apologized to the manager for speaking about his concerns to the media. "That was irresponsible of me," Parnaby said Monday. "I got caught at a bad moment and wasn't as careful as I should have been. I know Mister Kieta has a plan, and now I know my role in it. I'll be ready when they need me." Parnaby is currently with the England Under-21 squad in London, where they are preparing to play Liechtenstein at Wembley Stadium today. Parnaby is expected to return to Middlesbrough after the Liechtenstein match and likely continue his play with the reserve squad. Parnaby appeared in 21 matches with the Boro last season, but didn't score a goal. In addition to this latest affair, Kieta has had to deal with comments he made about a string of bad play by striker Massimo Maccarone and the concerns of midfielder Juninho that the club doesn't make enough money to keep the first team together. |
Just in case anyone saw anything funny, I forgot to do a write up of the opening of the South Amercian Quals for the 2006 World Cup. So I wrote it up, and then reworked it into correct chronological order with good ole cut and paste. :)
Of course, if you didn't read any of this over the past two hours or so, it is likely it doesn't matter to you. ;) CR |
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