Tamworth: Back To The Future

[Katon]

Are you sure Shay Given's English? I thought he was Irish.

Nice to see Kezman doing well in the Premiership, seeing as he's going to be playing there for Chelsea in real life. Where's Arjen Robben got to?

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by Katon

Are you sure Shay Given's English? I thought he was Irish.

Nice to see Kezman doing well in the Premiership, seeing as he's going to be playing there for Chelsea in real life. Where's Arjen Robben got to?

You see, this is how I get people to respond in my threads. I just use a little misnformation...

That's odd, I have no idea where I got the idea he was English. Given is indeed Irish (although I was dead on right that, in value, he is the top goalkeeper in the Premiership).

Kezman has had a good career and has never had less than double-dgiti goals in a year in a major league (between the Eridivisie and the EPL). He has also seen sopme success as one of the lead names on the Serbia & Montenegro national team.

Robben is still playing with Chelsea (he was a "future transfer" programmed into the player file in the update I used), and he still plays regularly, although he isn't having a great year this year (6 goals in 21 matches). Actually, looking at his numbers, that's in line with how he has been doing. I suspect he sees a lot of time on the wing with Chelsea's depth up front (Chopra, Mutu, Mido).

I see he's from PSV, just like Kezman. So the Dutch power is Chelsea's farm team, eh?

CR

[Katon]

So it seems right now. I'm actually sort of curious as to what's going to happen to them next year, seeing as we've pinched all their best attackers. They are getting something out of the deal, though; we're buying them a Brazilian defender named Alex so that he can spend some time in the EU to get around the work permit laws. Almost exactly what you need with Adu, come to think of it.

Robben is a winger primarily, not a forward, so his use there makes sense - especially given how scary Mutu is in CM (and how scary Chopra can grow up to be. Mido's good too . . .) The one bad thing about Abramovich's takover is that it's made Chelsea completely unplayable by removing all the challenge. In previous versions, beating Real Madrid in the CL was a real achievement; now, it's something which happens with the default squad in the first match of the group stage.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by Katon

So it seems right now. I'm actually sort of curious as to what's going to happen to them next year, seeing as we've pinched all their best attackers. They are getting something out of the deal, though; we're buying them a Brazilian defender named Alex so that he can spend some time in the EU to get around the work permit laws. Almost exactly what you need with Adu, come to think of it.

Robben is a winger primarily, not a forward, so his use there makes sense - especially given how scary Mutu is in CM (and how scary Chopra can grow up to be. Mido's good too . . .) The one bad thing about Abramovich's takover is that it's made Chelsea completely unplayable by removing all the challenge. In previous versions, beating Real Madrid in the CL was a real achievement; now, it's something which happens with the default squad in the first match of the group stage.

Thanks for the info. That will be interesting to watch (the Alex situation, clearly the other Alex and not the winger). Yeah, in CM, Chelsea can be scary good. They seem to be just as rich in there as in real life.

Beating Real Madrid ain't no thing, though. In this game they are just barely top five int he Primera Liga.

Seriously, I don't know how the game has so mismanaged Real Madrid and the entire Primera Liga from superpower andd superleague respectively.

CR

[Katon]

Well, to be fair, mismanagement is not exactly unrealistic for Real. The galacticos policy has gaping holes in it, and up until this summer they'd shown no sign whatsoever of noticing said holes. If you want to know what happened in your game . . .

Well, looking over the top transfers sections of this thread, $62 million for Owen Hargreaves rather springs to mind. How'd he wind up doing for them, anyway? Actually, looking further on, he was sold to Arsenal at a $38 million loss a few years later. They then turned around (just recently) and spent $63 million on Mancini

Other random thoughts, while I'm looking at the transfers:

- Chelsea signed Mido and Chopra three days apart. Huh.
- $68 million for Andres D'Alessandro? Well, if memory serves, he's better than Hargreaves.
- Four different players have gone for over sixty million dollars, to three clubs. Have Man U and Milan gotten better results than Real?

[daedalus]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

Adu needs to play in more national matches for the United States. One cap and playing for a Second Division Bundesliga squad ain't gonna get it done.

What about the chance that he gets German as a second nationality? I haven't seen what he looks like in the game so I don't know if he's already considered to have a dual-citizenship or not. Because if he isn't, after 5 years, he should be able to get German citizenship.

[Chief Rum]

Milan has been very solid at times, and certainly not as bad as Real has sometimes been. But they seem stuck behind Juventus in the Serie A.

Man Utd won the quadruple one year and they remain a very powerful club, so it seems they are spending their money right.

Other big spenders that have been very successful are FC Bayern and Barcelona.

Yeah, looking at those transfer lists, it's amazing how much money gets thrown around, and how often said players are moved later on for much, much less money (and not even because of age).

Personally, I think Real madrid got caught in this "we have money so let's spend it whether we need to or not" loop, and maybe made some very bad decisions in doing so.

Hargreaves' amazing price shocked me. I knew he was a good player, but that was just shocking. I also knew he wasn't that good and, IMO, a bit of an underachiever in the game as well.

CR

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by daedalus

What about the chance that he gets German as a second nationality? I haven't seen what he looks like in the game so I don't know if he's already considered to have a dual-citizenship or not. Because if he isn't, after 5 years, he should be able to get German citizenship.

Can you get triple nationality? Adu already has Ghanaian as another nationality. I don't know if players switch countries in this game, although that would be interesting if they did.

He's just 19 and still has some developing to do, I am sure, so I think he will become more of a fixture on the U.S. team in the relatively near future.

CR

[daedalus]

In 01/02, Mido was as much of a headache as he seems to be in real life. Wonder how he is in this universe.

Katon . . . that was the only way I could've justified D'alessandro's fee, too. Heh.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by daedalus

In 01/02, Mido was as much of a headache as he seems to be in real life. Wonder how he is in this universe.

Katon . . . that was the only way I could've justified D'alessandro's fee, too. Heh.

Mido is a headache in CM03/04 as well. He just complained about his lack of a role with Chelsea earlier this month, lol.

There is no justifying D'Alessandro's fee. But is there justifying Adriano's? ($68 M!)

CR

[daedalus]

Hard to justify that kind of fee for anybody really. There's a lot to like about D'alessandro, really. He's supposedly a great playmaker and he was able to be River Plate's captain at 21, which seems incredibly impressive to me.

From all I've read, Adriano is a fast and strong forward with great ability to score - I mean, he's scoring well in Serie A and it's tough to knock that. But, y'know, 68 big ones is a bit expensive.

Unrelated (except for the Parma-reference, of course), we snuck Lupoli out of Italy (in real life)! Huzzah!

[Chief Rum]

Tuesday, December 23 To Monday, December 29

Most everyone will be celebrating the Yuletide and holidays and what not around now, so there isn't much actual football going on. I think England has Boxer Day around now, too. Anyway, we have just one match, a Premiership match at Sheffield Wednesday the day after Christmas.

That doesn't mean this won't be an exciting week you know. With the transfer window just a few days away, the transfer speculations have begun...

Ceylan Fatih A Lamb?

I decided to go to Turkey and check out how Turkey's backup goalkeeper Ceylan Fatih was doing. If you will recall, Fatih stepped in for starting goalkeeper Reçber Rustu in Euro 2008 and nearly stonewalled the Turks into a championship (fell just short in the final).

I had had him on my list to keep an eye on for a while. Well, as I was looking around for options on goalkeeper a couple days ago, I found Fatih and saw that he was reasonably valued at $2.5 M. After the Bertelsen deal I have about $5 M in transfer funds left, so I made an enquiry for the keeper.

Turkish Premier Division squad Denizlispor came back with an offer-- $3.1 M. I decided it was worth it and accepted it on Wednesday, December 24. So now I am awaiting an offical response from the Turkish club.

What am I going to do with my current goalkeepers? Your guess is as good as mine. Hang on tight here...besides, it might be premature. Fatih has to qualify for a work permit (although I woudl think that won't be an issue for a guy who made a name for himself at the Euro).

Sheffield Wednesday

Sheffield Wednesday came in at 12th in the league, which is a little better than expected, although not by much.

I thought they might be playing well, as they dominated Nottingham Forest last weekend (getting a bunch of them on the EPL Team of the Week, which is why I noticed them).

Still, like other squads that have been promoted from the First Division in the last two or three years, they aren't filled with well-known players. Their best guys eem to be strikers Kim Olsen (21 golas last year) and Francis Jeffers (former Southampton striker).

It was a first eleven match, but Yakubu was away to the Dark Continent somewhere to play for Nigeria, so I hadf to start Adam Wilde in his place. Otherwise, it was the same lineup, with the notable addition of Carl Motteram, finally conditioned enough to return to the pitch.

I have found that no road match in this league goes easy, and as I have said before, I tend to let the opponent get the early edge. Why this happens I couldn't tell you. Given all of that, I figured this would be a tough match, but I would probably come out on top with a second half run.

Well, through much of the first half, it didn't look like either of us were going to make a run. We took some good shots on their goalkeeper Allan McGregor, but he stayed in fron tof the ball and kept us out of the net.

So it was still scoreless late in the first half when Sheffield Wednesday went on a good run. In the 39th minute, fullback Ross Forsyth had the ball near the centreline and left touchline. He sent a high arching pass toward the center-edge of the box. Olsen jumped up and beat out several Tamworth defenders for the ball, heading it off a little forward into the box, to the left of the post. Jeffers got to it first, but it seemed that Jon Masalin was positioned pretty well to stop the shot. Shows what I know--Jeffers seemed to blast it right by the guy, through the small hole between Masalin and the left post. I have no idea where the Finn was on that play.

Allowing our opponents the first score and even entering halftime down 1-0 is not anything new to us, though. I fully expected to come back because, well, that's what always happens.

We continued to test McGregor without success. In the 58th minute, Forsyth sent another long pass into the box, this time near the far right end. After it was bandied about a little, midfielder David Fox moved a short pass forward to Olsen, who was being marked by David Raven. Olsen somehow sidestepped Raven after getting the ball and went in on gola. Michael Stewart was right there, too--the Lambs had seemingly a million chances to take the ball off of Olsen's foot before he shot it. When he did, Masalin had guessed to head to the near post, but Olsen kicked it far, into the opposite side netting for Sheffiedl Wednesday's second goal of the match. And we were down, 2-0. I knew at this point coming back would be more difficult. But it can be done...

...or maybe it can't. We got shut down, as Masalin allowed both of the only two shots on goal he faced to get into the net. He and Motteram, in his return, both put up awful 4's in competition. And our five-match winning streak in league came to an end. Sheffield Wednesday 2, Tamworth 0

Motteram Targeted By Chelsea?

It seems Chelsea doesn't just go to PSV Eindhoven for reinforcements. Perhaps in an attempt to try and weaken the top Premiership squad, Blues' boss Erland Johnson is apparently interested in our own winger Motteram.

Those of you whom have been following know about Motteram and the whole Deportivo thing ast summer. Although I won't give the guy away, I wouldn't fight his departure if someone came along with a great offer. I still have his value/asking price set at $12 M (about double his listed game value).

Johnson apparently thinks Motteram is available because he is unsettled. He is, although, I can't say I know why. Maybe because he hasn't really played as well as a first eleven winger on this team shoud, and his "replacement" Andy Williams is less than a month away from a fullr ecovery from his knee injury.

Williams' presence and the likelihood I could get a lot for Motteram makes it even more liekly I would be interested in moving him, above and beyond his injury problems and relatively inconsistent performances. He is just 23 and terrifically skilled, and Chelsea is a contender for the title against whom we will be competing, so there is some risk involved.

In any case, I tell the approaching media that I will sell the player if the price is right.

Fatih Deal In Place, Negotiating With Goalkeeper

What more is there to be said? The same day the Motteram rumors sprouted up (December 26), Denizlispor accepted our offer (which was really their offer). We put in a contract offer for Fatih, whose demands were entirely reasonable (well under a million per year).

Fatih, just 20, has been a little inconsistent this year with 20 goals in 14 matches for Denizlispor, and some of his ratings coiuld use improving, particularly Handling (11). But last year he conceded 39 goals in 40 matches, and every yea rhe has played he has allowed less goals at the end of it than matches played. He had 17 clean sheets lost year at Turkey's highest level, and a 7.47 rating. He also has an even higher 7.53 rating this year than last year, so that makes me think Denizlispor's defense must be quite a bit worse this year than last year (so that would explain the poorer goals conceded to matches ratio).

Motteram Unsettled By Chelsea Rumors

This is often what happens when transfer speculation starts.

On Monday, December 29, Motteram told Football365.com that the media speculation on his potential move to Chelsea is having "an unsettling effect" on his football.

He also admitted he wopuld relish the chance to play at Stamford Bridge, but he wanted the matter done quickly.

Incidentally, the ball is in Chelsea's court. Unbeknownst to the media or to Motteram (assuming I haven't told him), the Blues have yet to go beyond simply letting rumors of possible interest get intot he media. We have received no offer or enquiry.

My hope, though, is that Chelsea's interest will bring others out of the woodwork, such as Deportivo again, which made that strong offer for Motteram in August, including young right winger Adam Morgan. I still don't know why an Englishman would not want to return to play at the top level in England if he had the chance.

Hertha BSC Offers Olisadebe

It's like a repeat of last summer's failed transfer activities. First Adu. Then Bertelsen. Then Motteram. And now Polish striker Emmanuel Olisadebe is back in the mix.

This 30-year-old striker has always excited me as a possible player to bring in. He has explosive speed, is a very smart player, and he can score with the best of them (17 Finishing). He never has gotten consistent time with Hertha BSC, though, as they have been one of the Bundesliga's best squads over the years.

They offered him to me for $6.75 M. Now, with $7.75 M tied up in the about to be consummated Bertelsen move, and another $3.1 M dedicated to the possible Fatih deal, I don't have enough money to match that offer.

So I counter with $1.7 M (pretty much the max I can offer) and 50% of his next selling fee (which, given he's 30 and his value will be going down most likely, is not much of a selling point). Olisadebe is a long shot, though. Even if Hertha BSC were to accept this lowball offer, Olisadebe himself has to agree to the move, and his lack of willing ness to go to Tamworth has been the primary hitch in problems bringing him over in the past. I believe he would need a work permit, too, although I don't think that will be an issue.

Also, Olisadebe's contract is about to run out in June. While I would certainly be negotiating a new contract with him, that means that before we can wrap things up, he will likely be able to sign elsewhere via Bosman. So neither I nor Hertha BSC might have much of a choice in where he goes.

League Transfer Speculation & Happenings

At this point, this needs to be separated from league news because there is just too much rumor and innuendo going on with the upcoming transfer window about to arrive. I'll go from player to player.

Chelsea midfielder Pazienza On The Move

This Italian midfielder Michele Pazienza looks like he has a lot going for him, as he is just 26, a physically dominant player, an excellent ball mover and possessed with solid, if not spectacular mental faculties. He can even score like a striker (17 Finishing). Still, he seems to be shelved behind Chelsea's terrific depth and is worried about recent transfer speculation at the midfield positon (note: this was prior to the rumors about Chelsea's interest in Motteram).

The story on this guy first broke on Tuesday, December 23 when Seria A power Lazio and its manager Frank Farina admitted they were seriosuly looking to bring the midfielder home.

Pazienza was brought in by Chelsea from Udinese two seasons ago, but he has hardly played for them. What a watse. The Blues have gotten so desperate to move him, they have dropped their asking price from $7 M to $3.4 M.

And he is attracting interest. I had him scouted myself (although I'm not planning on making a move), and seven other teams are interested, including Everton and Man City locally, and a whole bunch of Bundesliga squads (Werder Bremen, Bielefeld, Leverkusen, and 1860 Munchen).

On Friday, December 26, Johnson, Chelsea's manager, came out and said he would be willing to move the midfielder. That's hardly a surprise, of course.

Pazienza addressed the media on Saturday, December 27, to deliver mucht he same message Motteram would deliver the next day, saying he feared the transfer speculation would hurt his football form, and that he wanted some privacy. Unlike Motteram, though, he didn't suggest he would relish playing for Lazio, interestingly enough.

At the end of the week, the Pazienza matter remained unresolved.

Deportivo fullback Melchiot Getting Interest From Man Utd

Man Utd seems to think having the greatest backline mankind has ever known is not enough. They are reportedly targeting Dutch veteran right back Mario Melchiot, currently unsettled with the Primera Liga's Deportivo.

The 32-year-old feels the club is underachieving (he's right; they are 14th in the Liga) and is unsettled over it, apparently.

So Man Utd manager Joop Hiele is apparently exploring bringing him over to Old Trafford, according to reports on Tuesday, December 23. It shouldn't cost much--at this late stage of his career, Melchiot is just valued at $1.9 M.

On Christmas Day, Deportivo manager John Toshack said Melchiot could be had. He liked the fullback and wanted to keep him, but said that every player has his price. So we'll see if this one gets consummated.

Chelsea Completes Amisulashvili Deal

Unlike my failed attempt with Adu, Chelsea succeeded in getting a work permit for 26-year-old Georgian fullback Aleksandr Amisulashvili, whom they signed on transfer away from Paris-SG earlier this month. The deal went down on Christmas Eve.

Amisulashvili will join the club on January 1, upon Paris-SG's receipt of some $5.75 M from Abramovich's bank vault.

Amisulashvili had a goal, five assists and a 6.86 rating in 21 matches with the La Ligue 1 club.

Juventus Interested In...Henry?

Obviously, if this went down, it would be one of the more notable deals of any tranfser season. At 31, Arsenal's superstar striker Thierry Henry is still in his prime.

On Christmas Eve, rumors abounded on Rivals.net that defending Serie A champ Juventus was looking to bring over the French star.

The article also quoted his agent as saying that Henry would be tempted by the move.

Neither Arsenal nor Juventus nor Henry commented on the story officially this week, but it might be something to keep in mind in the future.

Blackburn Sign Italian Midfield Youth Star

I don't have this guy scouted, but apparently he's worth something.

On Christmas Eve, Blackburn signed 20-year-old Italian left winger Francesco Tognon away from Argentine Premier Division squad Banfield. The deal will officially go through on January 1.

The transfer cost is $6.5 M, which is really the whole reason why I think this deal might be significant. I'll keep an eye on this guy. He has been starting for Banfield for five years now, since he was 15, if you can believe it, but his stats don't really stand out from his time there.

FC Bayern Alex Still Being Courted

Apparently, the German superpower was asking for too much for star Brazilian winger Alex. The 31-year-old is worth $17.5 M in value, but Real Madrid put up $24 M. Apparently, even that wasn't enough, because whatever FC Bayern's response was, Real Madrid withdrew their bid on Christmas.

If Alex got comfortable with the idea he wasn't going anywhere, it didn't last long. Real Madrid rival club Barcelona, the three-time defending Primera Liga champ, put in a $24 M bid itself on December 26.

Then on Monday, December 29, Barcelona apparently got scared by FC Bayern's counteroffer and withdrew their bid as well. Makes me wonder what FC Bayern is asking for that they could scare away two of the richest clubs in te world like that.

German Club Pursuing Birmingham's Simpson

On Friday, December 26, rumors began to surface that Bundesliga squad Braunschweig was one of the clubs gunning after highly-rated Birmingham youth Jon Simpson. The 18-year-old midfielder started half of Birmingham's matches last year at just 17, and held up decently well (4 goals, 1 assist, 7.06 rating in 32 matches). He already has two U-21 caps with England and seems to have a hot future.

Why Birmingham would want to move him, I couldn't guess. He hasn't played much this season, though, for some reason, although he did good when he was in the lineup.

On Sunday, December 28, Birmingham manager Neil Cameron said he is ready to listen to offers for Simpson.

That's where it was when the week ended.

Blackpool Youth Defender Swift Drawing Interest From Ajax

Dutch power Ajax is reportedly interested in Blackpool's 17-year-old defender Richard Swift, according to reports on Saturday, December 27.

Swift is considered to be a rising talent, as he has remained a solid contributor even here in the Premiership.

Blackpool manager Steve McMahon said he wasn't anxious to move him, but that he would if the price was right. Swift has a 7.13 rating in 15 matches this season with Blackpool.

Bielefeld Is Chasing Swiss Striker Veld

You all likely have never heard of Veld, because he doesn't exist. He is just 20, and his career record only goes back to 2004-05.

He came to my attention when he did most of the scoring for Switzerland in their surprising run at Euro 2008 (of which they were part-host). He looks like a budding star

Originally with one of Switzerland's top teams in Basel, Veld moved to Bundesliga squad Cottbus last year. In half of a season this year, Veld has scored 14 goals in 21 appearances in one of the top leagues in the world (and with a 7.76 rating, too).

Bielefeld is, of course, another Bundesliga squad. On Saturday, December 27, several top German newspapers began reporting that Bielefeld was looking to bring in Veld as a long term replacement for striker Marco Kuntzel, the team's long time lead offensive player.

Bielefeld manager Huub Stevens was quoted as saying it might cost as much as $17.75 M to bring Veld over from Cottbus.

The next day, Cottbus manager Michael Skibbe resolutely denied that Veld was available at any price.

Birmingham Willing To Move Griffiths

Apparently Birmingham manager Neil Cameron has no interest in keeping his young talent.

On the same day the manager said young midfielder Jon Simpson was available, he also said he would listen to offers for another young prospect on the rise in centreback Chris Griffiths.

The Irish 19-year-old has apparently been targeted by Serie A squad Sampdoria. Cameron said Sunday, December 28, that he would be willing to move Griffiths for the right price.

Griffiths has been playing a youth and reserve role for Birmingham since shortly after pimples started sprouting on his face, but he is for the first team this season taking on more of a major role with the club. In 18 appearances, he has a goal and a 6.67 rating.

Sheffield Wednesday Looking To Contra

According to a Soccernet.com report Sheffield Wednesday manager Chris Turner is considering making a run at Atlético Madrid fullback Cosmin Contra.

Contra is a Romanian international star who played on the third place Germnay 2006 squad.

Turner apparently turned his attention to Contra after he was rebuffed in efforts to bring aboard Blackburn fullback Andrew Griffin.

Contra is 33-years-old and has been playing for Atlético Madrid since 2002.

League News

This is non-transfer related league news.

Blackpool manager Steve McMahon told media after his squad's 2-1 loss to Liverpool on Saturday, December 27, that despite his team's poor performance recently, that he feels the work of midfielder Omar Daley should be noted.

McMahon said Daley's recent performances have been outstanding, and he has played a big role in Blackpool doing better than expected on the year. Blackpool isn't too high at 15th, but they were largely thought to be headed for relegation.

Daley has two goals and a 7.12 rating in 17 matches this season.

Daley has also become one of the more popular players on the team for the fans. The 27-year-old Jamaican has been with Blackpool for four seasons--since they were in the Second Division.

Here is the Premiership League Team of the Week:

SC Kim Olsen (Sheffield Wednesday)-- 1 G, 1 A, 9 rat vs TAM
SC Adrian Mutu (Chelsea)-- 1 G, MoM, 10 rat vs COL
MF Stilian Petrov (Aston Villa)-- 1 A, 8 rat vs BRI
MF David Baldwin (Southampton)-- 1 G, 8 rat vs ARS
MF Jim Corbett (Tamworth)-- 8 rat vs SFW
MF Jesper Gronkjær (Everton)-- 8 rat vs BLK
DF Glen Johnson (Chelsea)-- 8 rat vs COL
DF Djimi Traoré (Liverpool)-- 1 G, MoM, 9 rat vs BKP
DF Richard Wood (Sheffield Wednesday)-- MoM, 9 rat vs TAM
DF Peter Clarke (Everton)-- MoM, 9 rat vs BLK
GK Shaun Allaway (Leicester)-- 12 sav, 9 rat vs LEI

CR

[daedalus]

Do you have any intention to swoop in on any of these deals for the younger players? That was always one of my favourite things to do. Heh.

I'd be all over that Pazienza deal, too. But, then, I'm a player-hog.

[Chief Rum]

Tuesday, December 30

Things are getting so nutty right now, I'm going to switch to a day-by-day post set for at least this week, which wil take us into the new year and open the new transfer window.

Contracts Hit Bosman Mark Today

As usual, I got notice of a ton of player contracts hitting the six-month Bosman mark today, both on my team and on my shortlist. Starting today, these players are eligible to be offered contracts from anyone, although in some cases, doing so will result in compensation being paid to the player's current squad, as if a transfer fee was paid. Actually, i am confused about under what circumstances this is doen and what determines the amounts compensated, so if any of you readers know, please enlighten me.

Tamworth Players

I'll start off with the current Lambs whom have reached six months remaining on their contracts.

You have to start with the two members of the first eleven backline. Leon Cort and Mike Duff, who represent the right half of the top team's defense, are both on expiring contracts--and might not be back.

It's not that they are bad players. Certainly not. Cort has been a fixture on our defense for years now. He put up 7.38 and 7.35 ratings the past two years, and is at a lower, but still solid 7 rating through 15 games this season. Duff was fantastic last seaosn, with a 7.49 rating and has been with the team as long as Cort. His numbers have also fallen slightly (7.21 rating in 14 appearances), but he remains solid defensively and a playmaker. Duff had 11 assists in the First Division with us two years ago, had seven last season and has four so far this year, so he can make things happen.

Neither are demanding too much, either, at around $700,000-$800,000 per year, and they are 29 and 30, respectively, so age shouldn't be an issue for a little bit yet. It's simply my realization that when all of my players are being paid at a clip that is more level with the Premiership, i may not be able to keep all of the players I have now. Most of the other guys I have are younger players who have better longterm upside. And I don't want to face a situation in a year or two where I need to resign a young star (McEveley, Otsemobor, Castle, Bertelsen, Clichy, and so on) and I don't have the money because I have dedicated too much money to the veteran holdovers.

I don't see the need to re-up with either player right now, so I am going to wait until we are either much closer to the end of the season, or until someone shows interest in them. If the latter happens, I will simply make the call based on what kind of interest I am receiving.

The only other significant player hitting the six-month mark is backup midfielder Darren Birchall. Birchall is a nice player to have around, because he can play all four midfield spots and he's good enough to contribute at all spots. He could start for a lot of teams in this league. But there are a lot of little quibbles I have. While he's good, he never made me sit back and say, "Wow", the way I have with some other players on the team. He reminds me of Motteram in that he might have all the talent in the world, but the results haven't quite been there. He also isn't as all around excellent as you would like a starter to be, and given concerns I have stated about overstocking the roster, might not fit as the backup he currently is either. So if I had to guess right now, I think Birchall will be gone.

Veteran defensive backs Justin Skinner and Mark Warren are both in the twilights of their careers and they only really get playing time when I think they have been sitting too long or have an opportunity to start an all-backup level squad. They are both already transfer-listed and will be gone at the end of the season.

There are a ton of players leaving from the lower squads, mostly past players from our lower division squads. Centreback Reinder Hendriks is 35 and has announced his retirement. He started for us in the First Division. Goalkeeper Casper Nelis served us well last year as a part time starter, but he is little more than an emergency replacement now. With Fatih likely to be on the way, he is even more unnecessary. Striker Stephen McGowan has been with us a long time, and he still has good talent--he's just 24--but he's just not a high-end Premiership talent, so I will be letting him go as well. They join seven other players on the Reserves and U-19 squads whom aren't really important enough to mention by name.

Significant short-listed players

Looking over this list is always interesting, because this is often where I discover players on the shortlist who are no longer of a level that is useful to me. I mean, this is a shortlist that has been built up over five seasons. I have found evidence of guys that have obviously been on the shortlist since I was in the Conference and Third Division.

But I have to check them all. You never know when some guy you had scouted and promptly forgot about turns out to be just what you're looking for and available.

The first notable player is one I already mentioned. Hertha BSC and Poland striker Emmanuel Olisadebe has reached six months left on his contract and is fre to consider offers from anyone. But we are currently targeting him for a possible transfer, so who knows what will happen there.

The next player to stand out to me was Arsenal right winger Jermaine Pennant. Pennant looked like a star in the making to me in past dynasties, so I always keep tabs on him. He is just 25 and is available.

I considered an offer to him, but some things got in the way. First, my assistant manager Terry Gennoe didn't think he was a worthwhile signing (although that's no surprise--Gennoe badmouths everyone). Second, he has 14 Pace and 8 Aggression, both of which are a little lower than I like, despite solid to excellent ratings elsewhere. Third, I am already very deep on the right wing, with Jim Corbett, Richie Partridge and Chris Booth, among others. Fourth, when I went to go see what he wanted, he told me he didn't think we had the resources to meet his demands. And fifth, he has been a bit of an uinderachiever for Arsenal, only once breaking double digits in goals or assists in five seasons (despite plenty of playing time) and never finishing with as high as a 7 rating for a season.

So I decided to play a waiting game and see how things played out for this young English star.

There were a ton of other players on my shortlist that also reached their Bosman deadline, and some of them were even pretty good, but these were the only guys I seriously considered making offers to.

Emilio Mora

When Mexico charged to a spot in the World Cup final in Germany in 2006, forward/midfielder Emilio Mora was a huge part of it, creating plays for the team and helping produce a lot of offense.

Mora has been with Leverkusen of the Bundesliga for four seasons and is coming off perhaps his best season. Last year he scored 23 goals in 36 appearances and averaged a 7.83 rating. He also had 11 assists and 13 Men of the Match.

The 30-year-old playmaker wasn't on my shortlist, so when his contract reached the Bosman point, I didn't receive notice.

Fortunately, Blackburn took care of that. Apparently wanting to make his mark with his new club, new Rovers and former Arsenal manager Bert van Marwijk is reportedly looking to bring Mora into the fold. Mora is also currently unsettled at Leverkusen, as despite his tremendous success last year, he has received very little playing time with the German club this year (two goals and an assist in just five appearances).

Mora's playing time has apparently been detrimentally affected by the arrival of Belgian striker Stein Huysegems from Eridivisie club AZ.

After reading about van Marwijk's interest, I checked out Mora and discovered that his contract had just come up on Bosman. After a little thought, I decided to put in an offer for him, as it will cost me no compensation to Leverkusen to sign him to a Bosman transfer. He was only seeking a $700,000 or so per year contract as well.

So I have put in an offer. Strangely enough, Blackburn apparently wants him for use this year (my transfer, if accepted, would not go through until the end of the year), so they are attempting to work otu a transfer deal with Leverkusen. So that might give me an advantage, in that I am dealing with Mora directly, while van Marwijk is one step behind, stuck int he team-to-team transfer process.

I hope to hear more from Mora in the near future.

League Transfer Speculation

Here is more transfer speculation from this day.

Swift Happy At Blackpool

Young Blackpool fullback Richard Swift, currently targeted by Dutch power Ajax, told Football365.com today that he is happy to stay with Blackpool.

Swift, 17, has already established himself as a solid defender, despite his age. Blackpool manager Steve McMahon said he would move the youth for the right price.

Atlético Madrid Is Set To Move Contra

Following reports that Sheffield Wednesday is looking at bringing in Atlético Madrid's veteran Romanian fullback Cosmin Contra, the Primera Liga club said they would listen to offers for him.

Atlético Madrid manager Lorenzo Serra Ferrer said he didn't want to move Contra, but would if Blackpool offered enough.

The 33-year-old defender was a part of the Romania team that finished third at Germany 2006.

Cissé Deal Falls Through

For some reason, an agreed transfer between Man Utd and Deportivo of the Red Devils' French striker Djibril Cissé fell through. Perhaps Deportivo reached its transfer fund limit, although for teams as rich as them, I wonder if that's really possible.

Cissé still looks like a terrific talent, although he has to compete with Miroslav Klose and Nicolas Anelka for playing time. And that seems to be the gist of his problem. He has only appeared in five matches--and none as a starter--for Man Utd this year, scoring one goal. Man Utd has struggled to move him as well, with their asking price dropping from his $8 M or so value to as low as $2.5 M.

Hopefully he will be moved soon after all. I hate to see good talent go to waste on the backup squad.

League News

Here is non-transfer league news, although there isn't much of it.

Veteran Blackpool striker John Murphy tore a groin muscle in training today and will miss two months.

Murphy has been the lead striker for Blackpool for several seasons now, and scored 17 goals last year in their quest to get promoted from the First Division.

He wasn't off to such a great start this year, though, without a single goal through 21 matches.

It's possible that at 32 he is just running out of gas, although it could also be he just isn't good enough to compete at this level, his first in the Premiership.

Regardless, he won't be seeing the pitch until March.

CR

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by daedalus

Do you have any intention to swoop in on any of these deals for the younger players? That was always one of my favourite things to do. Heh.

I'd be all over that Pazienza deal, too. But, then, I'm a player-hog.

Well, there's a problem there. For one, I have spent most of my transfer budget (and I had a fair amount of it).

And two, I am a player hog, too, and I have found I already have a ton of players.

I am already making decisions that are making me wonder how I am going to make room for everyone.

I do admit it would be fun, though.

CR

[Chief Rum]

Wednesday, December 31

With Bosman contracts addressed yesterday, this figures to be a shorter recounting of events.

Fatih Accepts Tamworth's Offer

It looks like we have a new variable in our goalkeeping formula, assuming Ceylan Fatih passes his work permit application. Actually, given some of my lack of success int his area, I suppose nothing is a sure thing with the labor board. Hopefully, though, everything will come out fine.

Fatih's rights are currently owned by Turkish Premier Division club Denizlispor, whom we will be paying $3.1 M if it goes through.

I won't find out the exact date of the work permit meeting until January 1, though, and the deal won't officially go through until the permit issues are resolved.

I am really excited about the prospect of bringing this guy on. As I have said before, this guy proved at Euro 2004 and in a full season in the TPD that he has some legit skills. You could argue that the goalkeepers I have looked at have better Handling (11) and One-on-Ones (11). I also have to be concerned about ratings like Teamwork (2) and Aggresion (3).

Still, he just brings so much else to the table. Aerial Ability (14) is a key factor for me, and he is solid there. He has 15 in Command Of Area and 17 in Communication, which would seem to bely his Teamwork issues. He has tremendous physical skills, with the speed of a fast striker and 18 Agility. And he has 20 Reflexes, which will help a ton.

Plus, he's just 20, so he could still have a lot of growing to do (in fact, I certainly hope he does).

I will have to consider what this means to Jon Masalin and Thomas Heaton, assuming Fatih gets his work permit. Heaton is a guy I like, and there are times I like Masalin, too, but the latter player has caused me more angst. If I have to send someone packing, it will almost certainly be Masalin.

Jermaine Pennant

I gave a ton of reasons why I should not pursue Pennant, most pertinent of which was the fact he thought I couldn't pay him enough.

That became even more apparent today, when Arsenal received a conditional $12 M offer from powerful Real Madrid for Pennant. I considered tossing ina contract offer and still decided it wasn't something I could do.

Not surprisingly, even without a manager, the Gunners didn't take long to accept this offer, considering Pennant is six months from leaving the club.

What did surprise me was how fast the deal was consummated. In the course of one day (today), Real Madrid made the offer, Arsenal accepted it, Real Madrid made Pennant an offer, and Pennant accepted it. Pennant even left the team this very day to go to Spain, because the Primera Liga transfer window is apparently already open.

So almost as quickly as I noticed he was available, Pennant was gone to Madrid. He signed a $3.4 M annual contract, BTW, so he was right--I'm not allowed by the board to offer anything even remotely close to that.

League Transfer News

This should be shorter, with the Fatih and Pennant deals already discussed.

Cottbus Gets Offer From Atalante For Veld

Rumors abounded last week that German club Bielefeld would attempt to bring in rising star Swiss striker Eric Veld, but it was Serie A squad that stepped it up and made the first offer.

They made an $18.5 M offer for the 20-year-old striker. That's more htan his value, so if anyone else is interested, they better get their offers in.

Simpson Unsettled By Transfer Speculation

Birmingham's youthful midfielder Jon Simpson told Rivals.net that he is afraid the recent rumored speculation of his potential move to the Bundesliga's Braunschweig will cause him to have bad form on the football pitch.

He said he would enjoy playing football at Braunschweig, but that he hoped the matter is resolved quickly.

Simpson is a well-regarded 18-year-old midfielder that has already established himself as an up-and-comer on one of the biggest stages in club football, although he has played very little this season compared to last.

Birmingham manager Neil Cameron said earlier this week that he would move Simpson for the right price.

Contra Wants To Stay In Spain

Romanian fullback Cosmin Contra issued a statement that he did not want to leave his current club Atlético Madrid to move over to England's Sheffield Wednesday.

Contra, 33, has been with the Primera Liga squad since 2002. He was recently rumored to be a target of Sheffield Wednesday manager Chris Turner.

CR

[Chief Rum]

Before I begin January and the official beginning of the new transfer window, I think it makes sense to catch people up on the league and around the world as well. So following will be a few posts in that regards.

CR

[Chief Rum]

Premiership Table, January 3, 2009

| Pos   | Team         | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D.| Pts | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   | Tamworth     |  18 | 14  |  1  |  3  |  56 | 21 | +35 |  43 | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   | Man Utd      |  18 | 12  |  4  |  2  |  37 | 15 | +22 |  40 | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   | Aston Villa  |  18 | 11  |  3  |  4  |  37 | 22 | +15 |  36 | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   | Liverpool    |  18 | 11  |  3  |  4  |  31 | 16 | +15 |  36 | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5th   | Chelsea      |  18 | 11  |  3  |  4  |  36 | 22 | +14 |  36 | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 6th   | Arsenal      |  18 | 10  |  3  |  5  |  32 | 18 | +14 |  33 | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 7th   | Newcastle    |  18 |  8  |  6  |  4  |  28 | 22 |  +6 |  30 | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 8th   | Birmingham   |  18 |  8  |  3  |  7  |  21 | 23 |  -2 |  27 | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 9th   | Nottm Forest |  18 |  7  |  5  |  6  |  23 | 25 |  -2 |  26 | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 10th  | Everton      |  18 |  6  |  6  |  6  |  21 | 26 |  -5 |  24 | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 11th  | Sheff Wed    |  18 |  6  |  5  |  7  |  19 | 20 |  -1 |  23 | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 12th  | Southampton  |  18 |  7  |  2  |  9  |  25 | 31 |  -6 |  23 | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 13th  | Fulham       |  18 |  5  |  5  |  8  |  17 | 26 |  -9 |  20 | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14th  | Tottenham    |  18 |  4  |  7  |  7  |  25 | 28 |  -3 |  19 | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 15th  | Blackpool    |  18 |  5  |  3  | 10  |  19 | 28 |  -9 |  18 | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 16th  | Bristol City |  18 |  3  |  6  |  9  |  18 | 24 |  -6 |  15 | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 17th  | Man City     |  18 |  3  |  6  |  9  |  23 | 33 | -10 |  15 | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 18th  | Leicester    |  18 |  3  |  6  |  9  |  17 | 33 | -16 |  15 | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 19th  | Blackburn    |  18 |  3  |  4  | 11  |  21 | 39 | -18 |  13 | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20th  | Colchester   |  18 |  1  |  3  | 14  |  13 | 47 | -34 |   6 | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------|

Comments: Well, we survived a long Man Utd win streak to stay on top of the division, albeit barely. Most of the top of the table is as we expected, with the notable exception of Aston Villa. I picked the Villans as the top non-"superpower" team, and I figured it was possible they could beat out one or two of those clubs. Vaulting all the way up to third, though? No, couldn't have guessed that. While there is no shame in finishing lower in a tough league this, I have to think Chelsea, Arsenal and Newcastle are all getting pissy with their staffs (well, Arsenal would be, but their guy already left for Blackburn). Birmingham and Nottingham Forest are mild surprises, as is Sheffield Wednesday at 11th overall. Tottenham is a bit lower than I predicted, although it should be noted they have improved since the last time we did this. Blackpool and Bristol City are out of relegation spots, so you have to think they are pretty satisfied with their league standings right now. The fact that two long time traditional Premiership squads in Man City and Blackburn are duking it out to try and stay out of relegation is nothing short of shocking. Colchester is just awful. I can't believe they came out of the First Division last year--it must have been crap down there last season.

CR

[Chief Rum]

League Leaders, January 3, 2009

Here are the notable league leaders in individual categories at this point of the season.

Goals

1. Shola Ameobi (Newcastle) 14
2. Hernán Crespo (Arsenal) 13
3. Darren Huckerby (Nottingham Forest) 13
4. Darius Vassell (Aston Villa) 12
5. Nicolas Anelka (Man Utd) 12
6. Adrian Mutu (Chelsea) 11
7. Michael Chopra (Chelsea) 11
8. Thierry Henry (Arsenal) 10
9. Miroslav Klose (Man Utd) 10
4 tied with 9

Assists

1. Hernán Crespo (Arsenal) 8
2. Miroslav Klose (Man Utd) 8
3. Christian Tiffert (Tottenham) 7
4. James Beattie (Southampton) 7
5. Sidney Govou (Man Utd) 7
6 tied with 6

Rating

1. Miroslav Klose (Man Utd) 8.41
2. Adrian Mutu (Chelsea) 8.28
3. Hernán Crespo (Arsenal) 8.20
4. Richie Partridge (Tamworth) 8.00
5. Thierry Henry (Arsenal) 7.93
6. Shola Ameobi (Newcastle) 7.83
7. Mark Brown (Bristol City) 7.78
8. James Beattie (Southampton) 7.71
9. Martin Taylor (Birmingham) 7.64
10. Gareth Barry (Aston Villa) 7.59

Goals Conceded Per Match
Minimum 10 appearances

1. Jerzy Dudek (Liverpool) 0.82 (14 in 17)
2. Fabien Barthez (Man Utd) 0.83 (15 in 18)
3. Tony McDermott (Arsenal) 1.00 (17 in 17)
4. Carlo Nash (Birmingham) 1.07 (16 in 15)
5. Allan McGregor (Sheff Wed) 1.11 (20 in 18)
6. Thomas Sorenson (Aston Villa) 1.17 (21 in 18)
7. Shay Given (Newcastle) 1.22 (22 in 18)
8. Petr Cech (Chelsea) 1.22 (22 in 18)
9. Mark Brown (Bristol City) 1.33 (24 in 18)
10. Shaun Allaway (Leicester) 1.38 (22 in 16)

Rating, Attackers

1. Miroslav Klose (Man Utd) 8.41
2. Adrian Mutu (Chelsea) 8.28
3. Hernán Crespo (Arsenal) 8.20
4. Thierry Henry (Arsenal) 7.93
5. Shola Ameobi (Newcastle) 7.83
6. James Beattie (Southampton) 7.71
7. Kim Olsen (Sheff Wed) 7.56
8. Johnnier Montaño (Tamworth) 7.50
9. Andrei Pereplyotkin (Tamworth) 7.44
10. El-Hadji Diouff (Liverpool) 7.44

Rating, Midfielders

1. Richie Partridge (Tamworth) 8.00
2. Stilian Petrov (Aston Villa) 7.58
3. Mark Hicks (Tamworth) 7.45
4. Edu (Arsenal) 7.40
5. Harry Kewell (Liverpool) 7.36
6. Joe Cole (Chelsea) 7.29
7. Ryan Giggs (Birmingham) 7.28
8. Ricky Waddell (Blackpool) 7.27
9. Gilberto Silva (Man Utd) 7.27
10. Denílson (Arsenal) 7.23

Rating, Defenders

1. Martin Taylor (Birmingham) 7.64
2. Gareth Barry (Aston Villa) 7.59
3. Aaron Hughes (Newcastle) 7.43
4. Rincón (Aston Villa) 7.43
5. Rio Ferdinand (Man Utd) 7.41
6. John O'Shea (Man Utd) 7.38
7. Mbulelo Mabizela (Tottenham) 7.36
8. Joseph Yobo (Everton) 7.29
9. Darren Kenton (Southampton) 7.28
10. John Terry (Chelsea) 7.28

Rating, Goalkeepers
Minimum 15 appearances

1. Mark Brown (Bristol City) 7.78
2. Jerzy Dudek (Liverpool) 7.41
3. Fabien Barthez (Man Utd) 7.39
4. Carlo Nash (Birmingham) 7.33
5. Edwin van der Sar (Fulham) 7.11

Yellow Cards

1. Alan Quinn (Sheff Wed) 7
2. Zatyiah Knight (Fulham) 7
3. Jonathon Woodgate (Newcastle) 6
4. Djimi Traoré (Liverpool) 6
5. Derek Geary (Sheff Wed) 6
6. Anthony Gardner (Tottenham) 6
7. Mark Reilly (Birmingham) 6
11 tied with 5

Men of the Match

1. Adrian Mutu (Chelsea) 7
2. Miroslav Klose (Man Utd) 7
3. James Beattie (Southampton) 6
4. Shola Ameobi (Newcastle) 6
5. Mark Brown (Bristol City) 5
7 tied with 4

CR

[daedalus]

Given age and the price he has dropped to, would Cissé be a possible target instead of Olisadebe? Obviously, a Bosman Olisadebe would be cheaper but 1.7 isn't much cheaper than Cissé's price tag.

Whoa. We got 12 large for Pennant? Wenger would be absolutely stoked right now for about 5, I figure.

[Chief Rum]

Even now Cissé's asking price (or more like Man Utd's asking price) is just a touch beyond what I can pay right now. Note, of course, that Olisadebe's offer probably won't be accepted either, as my tight transfer fund situation led me to really lowball Hertha BSC for him. If I were them, I would flip me off.

But, yeah, it would have been useful to have been aware of Cissé's situation before putting in the bid for Olisadebe or even Mora. He is younger than both, more obviously talented than Mora (although it's not far off), and younger than Olisadebe, as you noted.

I'm not too surprised about the Pennant deal, since we have already noted the extravagant transfer fees some clubs (*cough* Real Madrid *cough*) are willing and able to pay, no matter who the player, and also because Pennat is just 25 and in his prime. The big surprise to me was that Real Madrid felt they needed him so bad so soon that they would pay that now rather than just offer him a Bosman deasl which would get him to them much cheaper (albeit for next year).

CR

[Chief Rum]

Tamworth Season Stats, January 3, 2009

Keepers             Age   Wage    Value   Apps    Con   AvgR

Jon Masalin          22   $35 K   $1.0 M   15      20   6.20
Thomas Heaton        22  $100 K   $2.1 M   13      15   7.23
Casper Nelis         32   $35 K   $450 K    1       1   5.00

Defenders           Age   Wage    Value    Apps     G   A  MoM   AvgR

Hermann Hreidarsson  34  $825 K   $325 K   14  (1)  0   0   0    7.13
David Raven          23   $75 K   $3.4 M   14  (1)  0   3   0    7.07
Leon Cort            29  $110 K   $3.9 M   14  (1)  2   0   0    7.00
Mike Duff            30  $575 K   $2.9 M   14       0   4   0    7.21
James McEveley       23  $1.0 M  $5.75 M   13       0   0   0    7.62
Kevin Gorman         20  $160 K   $2.1 M   12       0   1   0    7.83
Tieme Klompe         32  $625 K   $1.0 M   12       1   0   0    6.83
Gaël Clichy          23  $160 K   $3.8 M   10  (2)  0   5   0    7.33
Jarl Andre Starbæk   30   $85 K   $1.8 M    3  (6)  2   0   0    7.33
Peter Castle         21  $100 K   $2.1 M    3  (5)  1   0   0    6.88
Jon Otsemobor        25   $65 K   $2.9 M    3  (4)  0   0   0    6.86
Mark Phillips        26  $300 K   $4.0 M    3  (2)  0   0   0    7.20
Mark Warren          34   $75 K    $65 K    1  (2)  0   0   0    7.33
Justin Skinner       36   $40 K    $65 K    1  (1)  0   0   0    6.50
Pat Davenport        18   $40 K   $475 K    0       0   0   0    0.00
Trond Erik Bertelsen 24  $1.3 M  $22.0 M    0       0   0   0    0.00

Midfielders         Age   Wage    Value    Apps     G   A  MoM   AvgR

Michael Stewart      27  $230 K  $10.5 M   15       2   6   1    7.27
Johnnier Montaño     25  $775 K $11.25 M   13  (1)  9   5   2    7.79
Richie Partridge     28  $400 K  $6.75 M   13  (4)  3   6   1    7.76
Jim Corbett          28   $80 K   $2.7 M   13       0   5   1    7.69
Denny Landzaat       32  $850 K   $2.2 M   13       2   6   1    7.54
Lionel Morgan        25  $825 K   $7.0 M   12       0   4   1    7.42
David Pizarro        29  $500 K  $14.0 M   11  (2)  6   2   4    7.92
Carl Motteram        23  $900 K  $6.25 M    9       1   0   0    6.25
Darren Birchall      30   $85 K   $3.7 M    6  (5)  4   3   1    7.36
Chris Booth          19   $60 K   $625 K    6       1   5   1    8.00
Giovanny Hernández   32  $725 K   $2.3 M    3  (8)  5   0   1    7.36
Danny Prutton        27  $1.1 M   $6.0 M    1  (9)  0   0   0    6.90
Andy Williams        31  $500 K   $1.6 M    0       0   0   0    0.00

Forwards            Age   Wage    Value    Apps     G   A  MoM   AvgR

Andre Pereplytokin   23  $475 K $10.25 M   14  (1) 12   3   1    7.33
Louis Saha           30  $625 K   $4.1 M   13      10   3   4    7.92
Orri Freyr Oskarsson 28  $950 K   $2.4 M   11  (1)  6   5   2    7.92
Yakubu               26  $1.2 M  $17.0 M   10  (4)  8   4   1    7.07
Adam Wilde           29  $400 K   $2.6 M    7  (7)  4   4   0    7.07
Mark Hicks           27  $450 K   $9.5 M    3 (13)  5   4   1    7.31

CR

[Chief Rum]

Around Europe

Here's a quick look at the top of the tables in the major leagues around Europe, as of January 3, 2009.

Primera Liga

1. Alavés 38
2. Mallorca 36
3. Córdoba 35
4. Real Madrid 30
5. Lleida 27

Comments: I'm not sure that any table more displays the fact the Primera Liga is now as wide open as it has ever been than the above. I doubt a single one of those teams outside of Real Madrid and maybe Alavés would have been picked for the top end of the table. Three-time defending champ Barcelona is 11th, and Champions League flameout Deportivo is 14th.

Serie A

1. Sampdoria 36
2. Juventus 35
3. Milan 32
4. Lazio 30
5. Inter 29

Comments: This table is a little more conventional, although league leader Sampdoria is a surprise. Three-time defending champ Juventus is right on their tail, though, and none of the other four are surprises. Roma is 7th and technically tied with Inter, so they are still right there as well. Parma is just behind in 8th. Last year's second place squad, Genoa, has fallen to 14th.

Bundesliga

1. FC Bayern 40
2. Dortmund 38
3. Leverkusen 34
4. HSV 30
5. Hertha BSC 30

Comments: FC Bayern on top is about as surprising as the sun rising. Dortmund has a history of success, but this league position is a surprise given recently poor results. None of the others are surprises at all, and represent a good grouping of the top German clubs. Eric Veld's Cottbus team is in 6th.

La Ligue 1

1. Montpelier 39
2. Lens 38
3. Le Mans 34
4. Nîmes 33
5. Nancy 32

Comments: France's top league has long been the most consistently competitive division, with no true superpowers. But even for them, this is a surprising result. Outside of Lens, none of those clubs would likely have been expected to be picked this high. More traditional powers include Auxerre (7th), Paris-SG (12th), Monaco (14th), defending champ Guingamp (15th) and Cannes (18th). Cannes, a Champions League group phase entry, is currently in line for relegation.

Eridivisie

1. NEC 36
2. Ajax 36
3. PSV 36
4. FC Groningen 34
5. Feyenoord 30

Comments: This looks like the best early lead, with traditiional Dutch superpwers Ajax and PSV competing with the newest rival to that duo in NEC, which has seen substantial success in recent years (including a visit to this year's Champions League group phase). Feyenoord is an old power that has returned, for now, to the top five.

Superleague

1. Gil Vicente
2. Benfica
3. Porto
4. U. Lamas
5. Sporting Lisbon

Comments: Gil Vicente is as big a shocker as Sampdoria in the Serie A, but otheriwse this is pretty much a snapshot of recent Superleague final standings. Sporting Lisbon, the three-time defending champion, is a bit of an underachiever at 5th right now, but they are still in it, along with traditional Portuguese powers Benfica and Porto, as well as Champions League group phase entrant U. Lamas.

Superligaen

1. Herfolge 39
2. FC Kobenhavn 39
3. AaB 38
4. AB 31
5. Skjold 28

Comments: As in the Serie A and the Superleague, a relative unknown has the top spot over traditional powers like FC Kobenhavn, AaB and AB. Herfolge is a big surprise at this point, although, like France, there aren't any real powers in this league.

National A

1. Iraklis 37
2. PAOK 30
3. Proodeftiki 26
4. PAO 26
5. Panionios 25

Comments: This table has the opposite look of some of the other leagues, where a known power leads, but is followed immediately by a bunch of unknowns. Proodeftiki, in particular, is a stunner. Defending champ and longtime Greek power Olympiakos is 6th, just ahead of another consistently strong contender in AEK at 7th.

Belgian First Division

1. Genk 38
2. Heusden 35
3. La Louvière 32
4. Cercle Brugge 31
5. Mouscron 31

Comments: This is another league that reminds relatively open from year to year. Genk is not that surprising, but Heusden is. Defending champ Anderlecht is 7th. Past traditional powers that have fallen off are Club Brugge (6th) and Standard (12th).

Scottish Premier League

1. Aberdeen 36
2. Rangers 35
3. Celtic 32
4. Dundee 31
5. Hibs 30

Comments: Groundskeeper Willy will be happy with this table. Superpowers Rangers and Celtic are right behind Willy's team, though. It's nice to see both near the top; the past few years, they have made a disturbing habit of only having one team make a good run to the top of the league.

Turkish Premier Division

1. G. Birligi 42
2. Galatasaray 35
3. D. Bakirspor 33
4. Dardanelspor 31
5. Fenerbahçe 30

Comments: It's like a flashback to five years ago, when Galatasaray was the top Turkish power, and G. Birligi was an up-and-comer behind them. Defensing champ and traditional superpower Fenerbahçe remains in sight. Another top power, Besiktas, is having a terrible year, and is currently in line for relegation.

High League

1. Shakhtar 38
2. Dinamo Kiev 37
3. Arsenal Kiev 34
4. Metalurg Donetsk 28
5. Nafkom-Academia 27

Comments: Shakhtar and Dinamo Kiev are using the same talent that got them to the Champions League knockout phase to lead the Ukrainian High League. There are few surprises here, with the exception of fifth place Nafkom-Academia. Champions League squad Chornomorets is 10th.

Spring-To-Fall League Champs

Here's a quick look at the European leagues which wrapped up this past fall, as they run a different schedule than most other European leagues.

Finland: HJK, AC Allianssi, TPS
Ireland: Bohemians, Athlone Town, Cork City
Norway: Bodo/Glimt, Aalesund, Rosenborg
Russia: CSKA Moscow, Spartak Moscow, Uralan
Sweden: Husqvarna, Västa Frölunda, Norrköping

Notable Fall Transfers

Here were the $10 M-plus transfers from the September to December, 2008, time period.

LW Damiàn Luna (ARG) from San Lorenzo to Boca for $14 M on December 29, 2008

Comments: Well, that took long. Above is the only transfer deal to break $10 M. Technically, the Jermaine Pennat deal qualifies, but since it is based on about $3 M in appearance conditions and what not, it falls from $12 M to about $9 M, putting it under the official break off point.

CR

[Chief Rum]

Thursday, January 1, 2009

The beginning of the new transfer window is always a big day. Then you have to consider it's the first day of the new month and new year, so some awards come rolling down the aisle. Lots to talk about today.

Bertelsen Officially Joins Tamworth

We officially completed the $7.75 M transaction for worldclass Norwegian fullback Trond Erik Bertelsen. Everything goes off without a hitch, including our payment to the Primera Liga's Mallorca, and we have our new first eleven left fullback, and a premier name to boot.

Bertelsen's move set off a series of results.

Our commercial director noted that the signing of the fullback is likely to cause a "sharp increase in shirt sales." I like more money, especially considering what we just dished out.

The transfer fee broke the club record for transfer spending in a year--again. This is a record we have broken before in this season, the first in which we had a landmark $24 M assigned to us. All told, the club has now spent $23.5 M this season.

Tamworth fans gathered at the Lamb Ground today to welcome my announcement of the Bertelsen signing. A supporters' spokesman said the fans are attaching importance to the signing as an indication of the club's continuing ambition. I would have to agree--the fact we can afford to bring ina player liek this indicates a new era in Tamworth is underway.

Not all is well with this, of course. As noted before, Bertelsen is currently hurt, out with a torn groin muscle he suffered in training three weeks ago. He has about a month before he will be able to return to action. We'll start him on our training program, and I hope he will become familiar with our tactics during his down time. He instantly vaults to the top of our value list, leaping past Yakubu for the top spot with a value of $22 M.

Bertelsen had four goals, three assists, a Man of the Match and a 7.08 avergae rating in 13 appearances with Mallorca. Despite being just 24, he already has 37 caps for Norway, and has five international goals.

I have described his skills before, but it would seem like a good time to go over them again. Physically, Bertelsen is as fast as a top notch striker (18 Acceleration & Pace), and he is also strong (15) and has good stamina (16). His techincal offensive skills, despite his position, rank among the best on our team, including Crossing (19), Off The Ball (15) and Dribbling (18) for ball movement, a key set of skills in my tactic. Defensively, he is very capable as well, with strong abilities in Marking (20), Positioning (17), Tackling (20) and Heading (20). He is also a hard worker (14 Work Rate) and technically sound (15 Technique).

The issues he may have is in some of his other mental skills. He isn't as strong with Teamwork (11) as I like, and his Determination (6), Bravery (9) and Aggression (9) are definitely out of line with what I like in my backline defenders.

Still, he has such great skills elsewhere, and his performance in the past seems to support those skills, that I am not too concerned about these weaknesses.

Fatih Move Delayed By Work Permit

This was expected, given that goalkeeper Ceylan Fatih hails from non-EU Turkey. I remain hopeful it won't be an issue.

The board will announce its decision on his work permit application on January 15.

Once Fatih officially joins us, I may have some decisions to make regarding the future of other goalkeepers on the squad, in particular Jon Masalin.

Olisadebe Bid Rejected

Well, no shock. I knew I was lowbalkling Hertha BSC by offering them just $1.7 M for Emmanuel Olisadebe, whom they offered to us for $6.75 M.

Getting the 30-year-old Polish striker would be a bonus, but isn't truly necessary. I may be able to bring in Emilio Mora, and I have all six of my top strikers signed through next season anyway.

Hertha BSC did not counteroffer.

December Transfers Officially Go Through

Bertelsen wasn't the only December transfer to officially be consummated Thursday in the Premiership.

Chelsea brought in Georgian fullback Aleksandre Amisulashvili from Paris-SG, Blackburn signed Banfield's Italian winger Francesco Tognon and Tottenham bought Wimbledon striker Paul Scott.

Board Confidence Update

My commitment to the club continues toabsolutely thrill the board.

December Premiership Awards

Chelsea's Adrian Mutu has been very good the past month, and that earned him the December Player of the Month award today.

It doesn't seem right that an established starter like Arsenal's goalkeeper Tony McDermott should get the Young Player of the Month for December, but then, he is just 21.

Not surprisingly, Aston Villa manager Tord Grip got the Manager of the Month for December after he led his team to a surprising third place in the table.

None of the goals of the month involved Tamworth.

Annual Awards

On January 1 every year, the bets player on most of the continents and plenty of other awards are handed out. But I'm not going to tell you who won them. Why?

Because they are meaningless. This part of the game remains broken, IMO, ans has since CM4 (upon which CM03/04 was based) came out a year ago. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to these awards. For instance, most of the European awards go to the top players on the top Bulgarian team, Levski Sofia. What's up with that?

Hopefully, SIGames will address this in Football Manager 2005. It's disappointing that it was not ever fixed through two games and several patches for each last year, despite it being a much discussed bug among fans.

Incidentally, it is for much the same reason that you won't be getting a Premier Select squad this year. The game just skips over doing this every June. Your guess is as good as mine why this is.

League Transfer News

First Division Charlton Athletic's manager Steve Bruce said his young Scottish goalkeeper Paul Walker would be available if he wants to leave.

This apparently comes after Tottenham expresed interest in the 20-year-old Scotsman. Tottenham's interest was listed as "widely reported" although this is the first I heard it.

To be honest, while Walker may have a lot of upside and I haven't scouted him to know what his ratings are, his numbers this year, and even in his career don't look so great. He has allowed 31 goals in 15 appearances, along with a 6.47 rating. Note that this is in the First Division.

Belgian club AA Gent's young midfielder Stephen O'Brien seems to be the centre of attention today, after the club's manager Raynald Denoueix said the Irish 18-year-old is not for sale at any price.

The versatile midfielder is listed as promising and appears to be versatile enough to start both in the middle and on the wing.

Denoueix's hand's off warning came after reports that Blackpool was interested in signing O'Brien.

German club Braunshweig has apparently worked out a transfer deal for Birmingham midfielder Jon Simpson. The 18-year-old midfielder was the subject of rumors of an impending move in recent days.

The transfer won't go through, though, until February 12.

Simpson has played with England's U-21 team and saw a lot of time with Birmingham last season, although he hasn't played much with the first team this year.

The transfer fees involved weren't specified in the report.

CR

[Chief Rum]

Friday, January 2 To Monday, January 5

Having gotten past the truly busy part of the early transfer period (the first day), I think it's a good team to return to multiple-day posting. We'll wrap this week, and then return to the weekly schedule. I do have a match during this time, an FA Cup third round match against First Division Ipswich. This is our first FA Cup match of the season, in a cup competition we have won two years in a row. Can we make it a three-peat?

Bertelsen Raring To Go

A day after officially moving over to the Lambs, our most internationally-valued player Trond Erik Bertelsen said he is anxious to begin the work of playing for us and helping the team move to the next level.

The worldclass Norwegian fullback told the Sunday Mirror on Friday, January 2 that he knew that big pressures would come with the move, but that he didn't see high expectations as a burden to him. He said he is intent on proving my decision to sign him was right.

Good. I like that attitude. Now get to rehab so we can see you on the pitch soon, Erik (I just can't call him Trond).

Mora Accepts Tamworth Offer

This is turning into a big stretch for us with our acquisitions.

Mexican forward Emilio Mora accepted our contract offer in a Bosman transfer deal on Friday, January 2. Mora hit the Bosman point just three days ago on his current contract with Bundesliga power Leverkusen.

Mora will join us on July 1, after his contract runs out. There is some risk in the move, of course, as Mora is not that young (30), and he plays a position where I am pretty deep, especially if Adu's work permit works out and I somehow negotiate a deal for Olisadebe.

But I see Mora as capable of also working that key attacking midfield spot and taking turns at left winger, too. That might be where he gets more time, as his arrival at the end of the season could make it a lot easier to move Johnnier Montaño and his iffy attitude, and Carl Motteram (who would only be moved because of what I could get for him, really).

Mora has good physical skills, and is solid at both winger and striker technical skills. He has very good creativity and he is solid mentally. Mora's starnge int hat he doesn't have many elite (18+) attributes, but he has 12-17 in nearly every single key stat I can find, and most toward the high end of that value.

He reminds me of José Alexander Amaya when we first brought him in from El Salvador. It helps that, unlike Amaya, Mora is a proven commodity at a high league level (23 goals, 11 assists, 7.83 rating in 36 apps with Leverkusen last year) and I have seen him perform well at an even higher level (one of Mexico's leading offensive stars in their run to the final of Germany 2006).

There are potential issues. I need to get a work eprmit for him, and I don't have a lot of success with that. He is also temperamental (just like Amaya and Montaño). I must have something for hot-tempered Latino attacking midfielders.

Mora's acquisition, assuming it is accepted by the British labor board (and it should be), makes Montaño's exit a virtual certainty now, and shortly after this I do indeed list him. Still, that's just to gauge interest. Right now, it's more important that I keep Montaño, as he still plays an important role in the middle of my first eleven. Next season is when Montaño's prsence ont he lcub likely needs to be addressed.

I found out on Saturday, January 3, that Mora's work application will be considered on January 17.

Olisadebe Offered On The Cheap

Most of the time, SIGames's AI is about as solid as you will find in text sim sports. But they dropped the ball on this one.

One day after turning down my lowball $1.9 M offer for Polish forward Emmanuel Olisadebe--which included a 50% take of his next sell price--Bundesliga squad Hertha BSC offered him to me for $900,000--straight up. That's just dumb, of course.

I'm not above turning down things because they are too stupid, though. After submitting my new bid (what they offered), Hertha BSC accepted the offer on Monday, January 5.

I wernt to negotiate with Olisadebe and expected him to ask for too much (or to say we didn't have the resources to sign him), as that is what he did last summer and when we have looked at him in the past. Not this time, though. The striker was much more reasonable, looking for around an $800,000 per year salary, with a signing bonus about half as much. That's certainly doable, so I offer it to him.

Unlike the Mora deal, Olisadebe would come over right away. He is also inside his Bosman period, so it's still possible could step in and take him from both of us (Tamworth and Leverkusen).

Ipswich--FA Cup Third Round

We welcome Ipswich Town for a Saturday afternoon of football today. Ipswich is one of the First Division's best teams, sitting at third in the table when they meet us. So while we did well to miss out on a Premiership squad for this round, we got one of the top squads outside of that league in Ipswich. The match will be played at the Lamb Ground.

Ipswich also happens to be the employer of young goalkeeper Gary Ross, a solid 19-year-old metminder whom we have targetted as a possible future Lamb for some time now. So far, our offers have been spurned by Ipswich. We will be going up directly against Ross today.

Ipswich finished just outside of promotion last year, in fourth (they lost in the playoff), so they seem to be a pretty proven team at this point. They have some good players, but it's always tough to say how good at this point. Ross, of course, is in net. Dean Bowditch is a toable young striker that, in value, would be in my squad's top five at $11 M. He has 17 goals in 28 matches this year, and has scored 17 or more goals in five straight First Division campaigns for Ipswich now. And he's just 22 (maybe I should keep an eye on this guy, too...). Veteran midfielder Tommy Miller has been controlling the creative side of Ipswich's offense as long as Bowditch has been executing it.

This is a second eleven match and the first time the complete seond eleven has started with each other in months, with Richie Partridge back at his right winger spot, and Tieme Klompe returned from his suspension.

In the 13th minute, we tooka dvantage of some soft pressing on Ipswich's part. Perhaps fearing our vaunted offensive attack, they were playing a little on their heels, and weren't pressing on our backline at all, even once we crossed the centreline. Kevin Gorman used the space created to get fairly far into the middle of the pitch on the right, and found Andrei Pereplytokin set up for a run into the box. Gorman laid the ball into the box perfectly, and as usual, Pereplyotkin got that step on the backline and went in on Ross, one-on-one. He blasted an angled shot from closer to the right post over Ross's shoulder and intot he left back corner for the first score.

In the 33rd minute, Lionel Morgan took a nice setup pass from Louis Saha and ran into the box. Midfielder Jermaine Wright took Morgan dow, though, and the ref called the foul and a penalty. David Marcelo Cortez Pizarro stepped up to take the penalty, and blasted a low shot to the left that froze Ross. It scored easily for the two-goal lead.

We did have the advantage, but I have to say that Ipswich Town played with us pretty tough. We went into our defensive 4-4-2 tactic after Pizarro's score, but I think the First Division squad was more competitive than a ton of our Premiership and Champions League opponents have been at the Lamb Ground.

We didn't score again until the 78th minute, and it took a great shot by Giovanny Hernández. Ipswich blocked a freekick by Mark Hicks, which deflected into the left end of the box. It was cleared out by the defense, but only to the middle of the defensive pitch. Klompe was first on the ball and moved up to Hernández, just outside of the box, and just to the right of center. Hernández saw an opening and instantly fired a hard, curving shot toward the left post. Ross was a little forward of his line, and the shot just got around him and sailed into the net for the final score.

We have successfully begun our quest for a third straight FA Cup. Tamworth 3, Ipswich 0

The Third Round of the FA Cup still has a significant number of teams, with 32 matches of 64 squads, so this competition has a long way to go.

There were few major upsets, with the possible exception of teh recently red hot Aston Villa. The Villans faced another Premiership squad in Bristol City, so losing wasn't so much of a shame as losing to a lower league squad. Still, if you have just completed a great run in your league and gotten up to third in one of the top leagues in the world, you want to do better than losing 2-1 at home to a lower end (and recently promoted) Bristol City team.

Southampton, Tottenham, Everton and Birmingham all lost by two goals or more against First Division squads, and all on the road. It was a pretty solid day for the First Division. They were beaten by Burnley (2-0), Charlton (3-1), Coventry (5-0) and Rushden (3-0), respectively.

Blackpool was eliminated by Blackburn, and Man City by Leicester in the only other two Premiership-only matches. Chelsea and Nottingham Forest disappointed by drawing with their opponents and will have to replay their matches next Wednesday, January 14.

Chelsea's draw impacted us, as the Premiership was forced to move our scheduled league home match with them from that day to January 28.

We were given $80,000 for our win over Ipswich.

Coventry Offers To Loan Booth

What, does this guy have "Loan Me" tattooed on his forehead? On Sunday, January 4, we found out First Division Coventry would like to have Chris Booth on loan for three months.

As he remains a key backup for us, I see no reason to do this, so I turn them down.

I could just set it to refuse all loan offers for him, but, frankly, I don't like to automatically turn down any loan or transfer offers. You never know when one might come in handy.

The Adu Appeal Fails

Well, I can't say I am shocked. The British Labor Board remains rather stubborn on this, and won't grant Freddy Adu a work permit.

As this was the appeal on the first denial, the application is issentially null and void--and with it, our contract with the young American forward. So he is back to finishing out his current contract with SC Freiburg. He is due to wrap that contract with the Second Division Bundesliga squad in June. Obviously, I am just going to have to wait for the 19-year-old to get more caps for the United States national team before I can bring him into England.

Yakabu Complains Again

On Monday, January 5, Nigerian striker Yakubu complained again about being out of the lineup. This is the third time he has done this since the season started, and I am getting more than a little tired of it.

I tell him he will be selected when the time is right. Yakubu doesn't seem to realize that his turn in the first eleven had to be skipped over because he was playing for Nigeria in the African Cup of Nations late in December. The matches around the one he missed (the loss to Sheffield Wednesday), which were few and far between over the holidays, were manned by the second eleven. Because of week-long periods between matches and his playing with Nigeria, Yakubu essentially hasn't seen the pitch for us since mid-December. So while on a time level I understand his complaint, it seems obvious to me there was no attempt to reduce his role but simply a matter of bad timing.

I feel he is quick to complain, and I am beginning to suspect that, given that he has been largely outplayed by both second eleven forwards, he might be a transfer candidate now or in the future.

With Olisadebe probably on the way, and Mora coming in six months, I won't have room for complainers on the front line of this squad.

Stephen O'Brien

AA Gent's young Irish midfielder Stephen O'Brien is apparently drawing interest from Blackpool. He is 18 years old and called promising. He also seems to be valued pretty highly for a young player in the Belgian First Division ($725,000) and seems to have the versatility to play both in the middle and on the wing.

On Friday, January 2, a report came out of Soccernet.com about Blackpool's interest in O'Brien. The interest flattered the midfielder, who said he would consider any offers that might be coming.

Other than that, I knew very little about this young prospect. He wasn't scouted at all for me, so I didn't know a thing about his ratings. He plays solid, but not great for AA Gent (high-6's rating), and his contract runs out in March (that sometimes happens with the younger players, where the contracts don't match up with the end of the season).

I put him down for scotuing, but didn't think about it much.

Then, on Monday, January 5, Genoa made a bid, offering him a contract. That did it for me, so I pulled a daedalus and offered the midfielder a contract myself. Surprisingly, no compensation would be needed for this player, despite his youth status.

I still don't have him scouted, so I might be buying bad goods, but all indications say otherwise. I'll worry about that once I found out if he has mutual interest in Tamworth.

League News

Here's a round up of league news over this weekend, as well as major transfer news around the world.

I normally wouldn't have mentioned the latter, but on Saturday, January 3, Serie A club Atalanta won the Eric Veld sweepstakes.

The young superstar Swiss striker moved from Cottbus to Atalante for $17.5 M, with maybe another million tossed on depending on appearances.

I will continue to keep an eye on the young player, but I suspect he has already moved beyond my price range. Of course, he is also slower than I like my players to be, so maybe that doesn't matter.

Two days after Charlton boss Steve Bruce said he would consider offers for his youngg goalkeeper Paul Walker, the player himself said he would have to seriously consider an offer to Tottenham, the Premiership team rumored to be interested in him.

He told a national newspaper on Saturday, January 4, that he would consider any move to the Spurs, and that he was extremely flattered at their interest.

Young defensive midfielder Bruno Pedretti told the Daily Mirror on Monday, January 5, that he is no longer happy with his contract, which calls for just a $20,000 annual salary through June. Pedretti is a future star froim the looks of him. He already has double digit technical skills in most aspects, he is highly proficient in the mental skills area, and he is very fast (16 Acceleration, 20 Pace).

Pedretti is a player I have been keeping an eye on, but he may have already progressed beyond my reach. He is in his Bosman period, but says I do not have the resources to sign him. Even if he was amenable to a deal, though, I would owe Charlton some $1.3 M in compensation, and that's a little more than I am interested in spending on a Bosman transfer.

The Italian midfielder wants to discuss a new contract with Nottingham Forest, but says he won't sign anything that "doesn't reflect his true value to the club."

There was no Premiership League Team of the Week, as there were no Premiership matches in the past week (due to holidays and the FA Cup).

CR

[daedalus]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

Stephen O'Brien
Then, on Monday, January 5, Genoa made a bid, offering him a contract. That did it for me, so I pulled a daedalus and offered the midfielder a contract myself. Surprisingly, no compensation would be needed for this player, despite his youth status.

Proper!

One of the big things I'm really looking forward to is the lack of roster limit in CM4-based game. The 50 player limit in 01/02 was really getting in the way.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by daedalus

Proper!

One of the big things I'm really looking forward to is the lack of roster limit in CM4-based game. The 50 player limit in 01/02 was really getting in the way.

I figured you would catch that, although I gave it a little help by bolding your username.

Yeah, no limit is great. I can buy and sell anyone! (I can afford, that is...)

CR

[Chief Rum]

Tuesday, January 6 To Monday, January 12

After stretching out a small Premiership schedule through three weeks or so, we get two Premiership matches this week. We go on the road to play Tottenham on Wednesday, January 7, and then follow it up with a highly anticipated match with Aston Villa on Saturday, January 10.

FA Cup Fourth Round Draw

The fourth round of the FA Cup was drawn on Tuesday, January 6, giving 32 teams new opponents in the net round of England's most prestigious cup.

We drew another First Division squad in Burnley, who are currently 16th in their division. This match will be played at the Lamb Ground, our second straight home match against a First Division squad in this competition.

The match will be played January 24, 2009.

There's one matchup of Premiership squads, and it's a doozy. Newcastle will travel to Old Trafford to take on Man Utd. There could be another one, but it will require both Chelsea and Nottingham Forest to win their replays. The two squads are slated to play each other if they win through next week.

Yakabu Happy With Role

Yakubu apologized to me in the media on Tuesday, January 6, just a day after complaining about his lack of regular first team duty (which is a farce anyway).

He says now that he realizes he should respect my decisions and that complaining publically isn't going to improve his chance of selection. Of course, he has said that before. I guess I'm just going have to cross my fingers that he will do what he says.

None of this removes the mark he has earned on my personal ledger for the problems he has been causing.

Tottenham

The Spurs are currently 14th in the league, but my match last month against Sheffield Wednesday showed that even road matches against midlevel league competition is no easy pickings.

Tottenham is led by two great players, one in front and one in back. The front is handled by Hélder Postiga. The Portuguese star striker has 10 goals in 19 matches this season. South African central defender Mbulelo Mabizela runs the backline, where he has put up a very solid 7.33 rating in 18 matches.

Other notable players include forward Jack Howells, who won the Premiership Young Player of the Month in November, and midfielder Christian Tiffert, the German playmaker who has put up three goals, seven assists and a 7.06 rating in 19 matches.

It is a first eleven match today. Andy Williams is close to full health, but he is not quite there yet, and his conditioning is still very poor, as one would expect. So Carl Motteram gets another start with the first eleven. This is also Yakubu's return to the lineup after missing his last start while away with the Nigerian national team (and sparking his recent complaint). Otherwise, this lineup is the same as it has been.

It wasn't a good start for the Spurs, as not five minutes into the match, they lost right winger Fabian Ernst with a calf strain. He was replaced by Ricketts, which turned out to be a key move.

Postiga showed soon after why he is so dangerous. In the 14th minute, midfielder Mathieu Bodmer moved the ball from the centre circle to Ricketts on the right. Ricketts moved further into the offensive pitch, drawing froward some of the backline. That allowed Postiga to slip through and split the defense. Ricketts' pass to the Portuguese forward was right ont he mark in the box. Jon Masalin stepped out to stop him, but Postiga sidestepped and put in an easy shot into the empty net for the early 1-0 Tottenham lead.

The Lambs got it back in the 31st minute off of a strange offensive set that included two caroms off of Tottenham players. Hermann Hreidarsson tried to center a pass from the left touchline toward the middle of the pitch, but the ball ricocheted off of Ricketts toward the front of the centre circle. Michael Stewart was closest to it and tried to fire a low, long pass into the box directly ahead. Fullback Gary Doherty tried to intercept it, but the hard pass went off of him to Adam Wilde on the left end of the box. Wilde lifted a soft, high pass over Mabizela to Yakubu, sitting on the other side of the six-yard box. Yakubu blasted a high shot at a sharp angle at the goal, and the ball went over goalkeeper Ian Naylor, hit the crossbar, and then smacked into the right side netting of the goal for the equaliser.

Wilde, of course, picked up an assist on the play. Like Ricketts before him, he played a key role in a score after replacing an injured player. Orri Freyr Oskarsson took a knock and had to leave the match in the 19th minute, although the injury turned out to not be serious (in fact, he didn't miss a single day of training). Wilde replaced Oskarsson.

The Spurs wouldn't falter where others in the past had, though. Centreback Stephen Carr and Mabizela combined to move a high pass into the box, aiming for striker Milenko Acimovic. Leon Cort cleared the ball out of danger, but he was aided by a Mike Duff foul on Acimovic. The ref called it and pointed to the penalty. Recent midfield acquisition Paul Scott put in a hard penalty at the left post for the 2-1 lead.

That's how it went into halftime.

The second half was much of the same until the 55th minute. Hreidarsson grabbed the ball along the left touchline and moved it forward to Adam Wilde, near the outer left corner of the box. Wilde headed it on to Johnnier Montaño close to the left side of the six-yard box. The pass drew Mabizela, much like Tamworth's first score, and Montaño moved the ball past the defender to the, once again, wide open Yakubu. The striker easily put in his second goal of the match to tie it up again.

Naylor was shutting us down, though. We had a lot of shots on him, but it looked like that's how it would end. Unfortunately for Tottenham, if you allow an opponent to keep taking swings, sooner or later he's gonna connect.

In the 83rd minute, Stewart intercepted an errant pass near the centreline, and the Lambs went ont he counterattack. Yakubu used his speed to get a slight step on Mabizela. He received a nice long pass from Stewart just short of the right side of the six-yard box. That drew Naylor down. Yakubu moved the ball up to Wilde, ahead of his man on the other end of the box, and the replacement striker put in the score before Naylor could scramble back to stop it.

That would seal a very nice comeback win for us. Tamworth 3, Tottenham 2

Yakubu got the Man of the Match, so I suppose he was very motivated by his "return" tp the starting lineup. Naylor probably deserved it more. He let three goals go by, all on understandable misdirection plays allowed by his defense. He stopped 10 others.

O'Brien Turns Down Suitors To Sign With Tamworth

The daedalus plan worked.

AA Gent's young and promising midfielder Stephen O'Brien turned down three other teams to sign a Bosman deal with us on Thursday, January 8. He turned down offers from Genoa, his current employer AA Gent, and La Ligue squad Nancy.

The deal will be consummated when his contract with AA Gent runs out on March 13.

I still don't have a clue how this guy scouts out, although I am hopeful that one of my scouts will help me out with that soon. I suppose I am crossing my fingers, but you can't beat the price (free transfer, small contract of about $100,000 per year).

Unless he comes in like the next coming of David beckham, though, O'Brien is destined for a reserve or U-19 role, where he can learn Slovakian from my growing contingent of youths from that part of Europe.

Olisadebe Accepts Contract Offer

On Thursday, January 8, Polish striker Emmanuel Olisadebe has accepted our contract offer, allowing the transfer with Hertha BSC to go through.

Interestingly enough, even though Hertha BSC had negotiated a transfer amount with us, they still had a contract offer on the table for Olisadebe. Apparently they hoped he would take it, and they could back out of their transfer deal with us. Didn't work, guys.

Olisadebe immediately moves over to Tamworth with the move, at a cost of just $900,000. I have described the Polish international forward in the past, but I will do so a little more here. The 30-year-old striker is still explosive (18 Acceleration and Pace), and he still has high level scoring abilities (17 Finishing). He has good enough Dribbling (14) to get where he needs to go, and is smart enough to put himself int he right position for the ball (17 Off The Ball). This guy is about as solid as they come in nearly every category, with double digit skills all around. He is both physical and mentally strong, and probably becomes are most skilled striker the second he hits the pitch. In limited time with Hertha BSC, he has four goals and three assists in seven appearances.

His arrival is likely to cause something of a domino effect on our frontline starting squads. The question for me became, which domino? Louis Saha and Andrei Pereplytokin have been marvelous as the second eleven starters, and I see no reason to split them up. There is really no question that Olisadebe needs to be starting. So that means he has to go on the first eleven. Yakubu is complaining about playing time, but he is coming off of perhaps his best performance this season. He is also younger than his partner Oskarsson, and less versatile (which adds to Oskarsson's value as a potential backup). Oskarsson doesn't complain--he just plays wherever he is needed. That is invaluable, and in the end, it will likely keep him around while earning Yakubu a ticket outta town. But for now, it seems better to assuage the Nigerian's fragile psyche, keep him in the first eleven to pair woth Olisadebe, and move Oskarsson to a backup role, where he can play both forward and in the midfield. This will also have an effect on the playing time of current frontline backups Mark Hicks and Adam Wilde--and neither of whom have done anything to earn a demotion.

The transfer moves us up to $24.5 M in transfer fees paid on the year--once again, a new club record.

Montaño Says There Are Too Many Rival Players

Frontline players weren't the only guys who might have groused about the Olisadebe transfer.

Johnnier Montaño, who could find a reason to complain in just about any situation, decided he feared for his future at the Lamb Ground. He's right to worry, of course, although it's the impending arrival of Emilio Mora in July that could lead to his removal from the team, and not Olisadebe.

Montaño told the Sunday Times on Thursday, January 8, that he is disillusioned with life at Tamworth, fearing that there are too many rival players at the club for his position.

Montaño, of course, has had his request in to leave the team for some time. My listing of him had resulted in him looking forward to leaving the club, but as of yet, I had no takers or even bites. I decided to offer him around to clubs suggested by assistant manager Terry Gennoe in an attempt to unload him.

On the personal level, I contacted a local radio station and agreed with Montaño's assessment that there are too many players at his position--against the recommendation of Gennoe, who thought I should say there are "never" too many rival players. I actually agreed with gennoe, but I felt the situation called for a little bit of tact.

I also suggested that, to alleviate the overcrowding, I would likely be looking to offload a player or two. I did not say that that player in question would almost certainly be Montaño himself.

Partridge Unhappy With Contract

Thursday was the day all the whiners came out.

Second eleven winger Richie Partridge complained that his pay scale was too slight. He suggested his agent could net him a better deal at another club, and that he wanted to begin contract negotiations on a deal immediately.

The problem is, his contract isn't monstrously low, IMO, at $400,000 per year. And he has another year on it, too.

I followed Gennoe's advice this time and told Partridge he wasn't getting a new contract.

Partridge seemed to accept this, and later that day, he issued a public apology for his complaint.

He seems content for now, but this is another mark for a player who has already complained about playing time once this season. The list is growing longer...Montaño...Yakubu...Partridge...

Aston Villa

This is a circled match on the ole calendar, with how the Villans have been playing.

A great run in December have moved Aston Villa into the league's top five. With us coming to Villa Park, this is a legitimacy test for them.

For us, it's another tough road match in a string of them the past month or so. Thus far, we have gotten away with at least a draw in every road match outside of Sheffield Wednesday. Hopefully we'll be ready for this one.

Aston Villa has been in the Premiership for many years now, and their roster has its share of notable players. Goalkeeper Thomas Sorenson is one of the better netminders in the league, and he has a solid defense in front of him, which includes multiple Team of the Week players like Olaf Mellberg, Gareth Barry and Luke Young.

Still, it's an offense where the Villans have made noise this year, ranking among the league leaders in goals scored. Darius Vassell, the long time Aston Villa star, remains strong, with 17 goals and 12 assists in 33 matches. Spanish striker David Villa helps put the shots in, with 10 goals in 33 appearances. The midfield is strong and deep. It is led by Stilian Petrov (4 goals, 6 assists, 7.28 rating in 29 apps), Steed Malbranque (3 goals, 8 assists in 27 apps) and Fredy William Thompson (5 goals, 8 assists, 7.35 rating in 31 matches).

Today is a second eleven match, and the whole team as it once was is again starting. This might be the last match Lionel Morgan starts, though, as Andy Williams' likely return soon could move him to a pure backup role, and bump Carl Motteram to the second eleven.

This started off as a very tight, defensive match. Neither team was getting many shots off. They would get close, but it would be cleared out. We would get close, but someone would make a key tackle.

Scoring didn't break open until the 42nd minute. The stalemate was actually broken on a key play by goalkeeper Thomas Heaton. The Lamb netminder went deep into traffic for a Malbranque corner and fisted it straight out into the center of the pitch. Tieme Klompe latche donto it and started a counterattack. He lifted a long pass up to Andrei Pereplyotkin, running along the right touchline, and the Ukrainian striker sent a long pass to Louis Saha, just beyond Mellberg going into the box. The pass actually passed right over Mellberg, who appeared to just miss the pass. Saha went in on goal, dodged to the left, and then just kicked the ball right at Sorenson. The shot went high over Sorenson's shoulder, and the goalkeeper missed it to allow the first goal of the match.

At halftime, only four shots on goal had been taken, two by each side.

Our second score, in the 55th minute, was a thing of beauty. David Marcelo Cortez PIzarro has been awesome for us in the middle and he showed it again today. Taking a pass near the centre circle from Morgan, Pizarro went on a run straight up the gut of the defense. Despite his forward charge, the Villan defenders seemed hesitant to move in, perhaps fearing he would get behind them. Malbranque and Mellberg--two of the Villans' more talented players--were still making an effort to close off acces to the gola, when Pizarro split them on the run. He fooled Sorenson and hit a low, hard shot into the lower left corner for the 2-0 lead.

Aston Villa got back into it a few minutes later. In the 61st minute, winger Adam Drury was dancing along the right edges of the box, evading defenders. It seemed only a matter of time before we caught him and cleared out the ball, but it never quite happened. Finally, from near the left goalline, Drury moved a pass up to the other winger in Jérôme Cartier. The young Frenchman hit a hard shot on the volley from near the corner of the box right at the left post. Heaton moved over and was in good position to stop it, but Cartier's shot blasted at the post, struck it, and then went right in behind Heaton for the score.

Aston Villa couldn't take advantage, though. James McEveley headed away a long pass, and moved the ball back up the middle of the pitch to midfield sub Giovanny Hernández. Hernández drew some attention from Barry, which suddenly freed up Pereplyotkin. Hernández moved a shade to the right to avoid Barry before putting a perfect pass on Pereplytokin as he went into the box. The Ukrainian striker put a move on Sorenson, charging out, and put the ball int he net for the 3-1 lead.

In the 79th minute, Oskarsson displayed that my strategy with him might end up being brilliant. As he was hurt early in the Tottenham match, Oskarsson recovered fairly quickly with little depleted conditioning and was ready for his new backup role. He replaced Saha in the 61st minute. He created this next goal almost completely by himself. He took a short pass from Morgan when both of them were near the centreline and left touchline. He took off on a long run, while being marked/chased by two defenders, that led him to the left goalline. Once there, he reversed on his defenders, circled around them, and went charging into the box. Drawing attention from other defenders to himself, the Icelander dished off to Denny Landzaat, who put a hard, high shot in over Sorenson that struck the crossbar.

Oskarsson showed off his skills again in the 85th minute, when he took a pass from Pereplyotkin near the center of the offensive pitch, but then showed just how fast he can be when he immediately had a step on Mellberg toward the goal. Sorenson ran out to meet him, but Oskarsson simply kicked a low shot right past the goalkeeper for our fifth goal of the match.

We ran away with the huge win, despite not really outshooting Aston Villa by much with 13-10 (8-6 on goal). Tamworth 5, Aston Villa 1

Arsenal Comes Calling

daedalus, hold on to your hat.

The Gunners have been looking for a manager for a month now, since Bert van Marwijk left to coach Blackburn. I was beginning to wonder when they were finally going to hire someone.

On Saturday, January 10, they offered their manager's position--one of the most prestigious club managing posts in the world--to none other than me.

This is actually the second time it has been offered to me. When Arsène Wenger was sacked last year, I was offered the job. Coming off of an international treble, though, I felt I was really building something at Tamworth, and I turned them down. The job shortly after went to van Marwijk.

So what did I think this time? It was a big enough decision for me to save the game here, leaving both options open to me.

Maybe some day, I will come back to this and give it a shot. But I am still just as dedicated to making it work at Tamworth. It's just not time yet for a new challenge--I'm not done with this one. I turn Arsenal down.

Sorry, daedalus.

Partridge Hurts Himself In Training

Karma's a bitch, ain't it?

On Monday, January 12, Partridge hurt himself in training, straining a groin muscle. The winger will miss two weeks.

Chris Booth will replace Partridge in the second eleven in the mean time.

See, this is what happens when you're a whiny little bitch.

Williams Returns To Full Training

Oh, rejoice! Our starting left winger is back at full health!

Even as one winger one down with a minor injury Monday, another is cleared to return to full training from a major injury.

Left winger Andy Williams, who was a fixture on the left side of our tactic since we were a Second Division squad, has recovered from damaged cruciate ligaments in his right knee. Williams suffered the injury in last year's UEFA Final win over Parma, in May. In recovering in eight months, he actually beat projections by over a month, not counting conditioning time.

Williams has a long way to go before he gets to playable shape, but at least now he can go full bore. I am hoping to have him available for the next first eleven match, a match with Liverpool five days from now. That said, it's likely he won't be ready for that one, as it is in just five days.

Last season, Williams had five goals and 17 assists in 38 appearances. His 8.13 rating was one of the highest on the team and in the Premiership.

In three seasons with the Lambs, Williams has 40 assists.

League News

On Tuesday, January 7, Colchester made an effort to bolster its midfield with the signing of 31-year-old Dutchman Richard Knopper. They bought Knopper from Tottenham for $130,000.

Knopper has seen little time for the Spurs in recent years, although he was a full tiem starter just three seasons ago. He's still young enough to have retained most of his skills, I would imagine, although one of the reasons he will see time with Colchester is likely because they are the last place squad in the Premiership, and are simply awful.

Colchester also made a move for the future when they signed Finnish right winger Mika Väyrynen away from Greek power Iraklis. The 27-year-old Finn was a starter for the 2006-07 UEFA champions, but has since been relegated to backup duties. He will move to Colchester on July 1.

Sheffield Wednesday made a big move on...Wednesday...January 7, when they agreed to a $3.5 M transfer for Leverkusen midfielder Hamit Altintop.

Altintop, a 26-year-old Turkish international, should step in and play a major role for the mid-level squad, as they try to make a run at a spot in Eruope next season. He was a little-used backup for powerful Leverkusen, where he had a goal in five appearances, to go along with a solid 7.20 rating.

Sheffield Wednesday made another move to shore up their midfield when they agreed to loan Southampton's defensive midfielder Gary Mason for three months on Friday, January 9. The 29-year-old Scotsman has a 7.00 rating in eight appearances for Southampton this season.

Fulham made a move for next year when they worked out a Bosman transfer deal with Charlton fullback Gary Naysmith. The defender's current contract will run out on June 30, allowing him to move to Fulham the next day.

The 30-year-old Scotsman should provide some depth for the Cottagers on the backline next season, although he probably isn't starter material.

Here is the Premiership League Team of the Week.

SC Salvador Aguado (Chelsea)-- 1 G, 1 A, 7.50 rat in 2 matches
SC Yakubu (Tamworth)-- 2 G, 1 A, MoM, 10 rat vs TOT
MF Michael Stewart (Tamworth)-- 8 rat vs TOT
MF James O'Connor (Man City)-- 8 rat vs BLK
MF Aliaksandr Hleb (Chelsea)-- 1 G, 7.50 rat in 2 matches
MF Alan Quinn (Sheff Wed)-- 2 G, 8 rat in 2 matches
DF Kasper Bogelund (Man Utd)-- 2 G, MoM, 9 rat vs COL
DF Djimi Traoré (Liverpool)-- 1 A, 8 rat in 2 matches
DF Darren Kenton (Southampton)-- MoM, 8.50 rat in 2 matches
DF Richard Dunne (Man City)-- 9 rat vs BLK
GK Owain Fon Williams (Southampton)-- 13 sav, 2 cleans, MoM in 2 matches

CR

[daedalus]

Awwwww, turn down the Gunners?!! That's unpossible!

I know how you feel, though. I couldn't leave Rushden & Diamond once we moved on up, either.

The daedalus plan always work. Snag 'em young for cheap 'n sell 'em off for slightly more unless they make a major impression.

I know how you feel about The List™ o' Bad Doggies. Complainers earn themselves a quick Greyhound ticket. Unless, of course, they're Repeat Offenders then they earn a speedy trip to the bench. Of course, if they REALLY tick me off . . . they get to learn to be more versatile: train opposite foot and goalkeeping.

[Chief Rum]

Tuesday, January 13 To Monday, January 19

With our home match against Chelsea pushed back two weeks, we are left with just one match this week, a high-profile trip to Anfield to play the third-place Liverpool Reds on Saturday, January 17. The Chelsea match was pushed back because they had to replay their third round FA Cup match after drawing with Stevenage.

Montaño Draws No Interest

I guess no one else wants a headache either.

On Wednesday, January 14, I got notice from all the teams I offered the troubled Johnnier Montaño to that they weren't looking to improve that area of their squads, or that I was asking too much (but would consider him if I lowered my demands). I was asking for $11 M, which is his currently listed value.

It's not necessary to move him right now. Indeed, I don't necessarily have too much depth at the attacking midfield position if I move him (at least not what I like, although I do certainly have the bodies to fill the spot).

I think I will hold off on offering him around for less, and see if I can pick up some interest between now and the summer.

Fatih Is Denied Work Permit

It has been a bad month for us with work permits. First, Freddy Adu gets pushed aside, and now it looks like Ceylan Fatih is going to get shot down, after the British Labor Board turned down his application on Thursday, January 15.

This doesn't make much sense, of course. In Adu's case, we're talking about one of the most talked about young phenoms in the world. In Fatih's case, we have a young goalkeeper that stepped in for his national team's star netminder, and then led that team all the way to the final of the European Championships. These aren't nobodies.

The British Labor Board seems to have its own ideas, though.

We appeal the decision and get a surprisingly quick date for the board's next consideration of Fatih's application, the following Monday, January 19.

It was just delaying the ineveitable, though. They turned down his application, and our potential goalkeeper of the future is stuck in Turkey. Glad I didn't transfer list Jon Masalin.

American Players Garnering Interest

With Adu's deal with us following through last week, he has, of course, returned to being Bosman eligible on his current contract with SC Freiburg. Not surprisingly, he is drawing interest.

On Tuesday, January 13, he got an offer from Rostock, and then on Thursday, January 15, another offer from Union Berlin. Both squads are division-mates of SC Freiburg in the Bundesliga's Second Division, but unlike the latter, they are on top of their league and looking to promotion to the powerful Beundesliga at the end of the year. Rostock and Union Berlin are one-two in the division, and now they are fighting for Adu. SC Freiburg is still in both races as well, in the top ten and with an offer on the table for the American forward.

On Sunday, January 18, the 19-year-old accepted the offer from Rostock. He will transfer over to the club on June 7.

Adu wasn't the only American forward in Germany drawing interest. Longtime international player Landon Donovan was also targeted with offers this week, although his are of the transfer variety.

On Friday, January 16, Donovan, who is currently toiling with another Bundesliga Second Division squad in Duisburg, was targeted by Bundesliga squad Wolfsburg. The next day, another Bundesliga squad in 1.FC.Köln and the Premiership's own Man City also joined in with offers. All three offers were between $5 M and $9 M, and Duisberg accepted them all. As of the end of the week, Donovan was considering three contract offers and will likely be in a new home inside of another week.

Chelsea Offers Pazienza

I mentioned last week that Italian midfielder Michele Pazienza is disgruntled at his lack of playing time and looking to move.

I didn't have the money to make an offer on him, with most of my remaining transfer budget earmarked for Fatih. When the deal for Fatih began to look doubtful, though, I became a lot more free with my remaining money, some $4 M in transfer funds. Really, though, I wasn't looking to bring in Pazienza.

He seemed like a solid player. He had the explosive speed and striker quality finishing skills, so he would work well as my attacking midfielder.

But I don't think I would have made an offer if Chelsea didn't step up and offer him to me first on Friday, January 16. They offered him to me for $3.2 M, which was a good deal less than his listed value of $7 M.

That price was apparently the magic price, though, as other clubs started to get into it for the 26-year-old playmaker. On Wednesday, January 14, Bundesliga squad Werder Bremen gave an offer. Another German club, Bielefeld weighed with an offer on Saturday, January 17. Apparently the Italian is very popular in Germany, as Hertha BSC came into the Pazienza sweepstakes on Sunday, January 18. Leverkusen finished things off in this first week with an offer on Monday, January 19.

Lazio was interested in Pazienza near the beginning of the month, but they haven't put in an offer for him.

As of the end of the week, Pazienza was considering offers from five different clubs, and it looked like others might get involved as well.

Mora Permit Approved

Well, it's about time.

On Saturday, January 17, the British Labor Board finally pulled up a winner for Tamworth. They approved the work permit application of Bosman transfer candidate Emilio Mora, clearing the way for the Mexican attacking midfielder to move over to us at the end of his current contract with Leverkusen.

He officially becomes a Lamb on July 1.

The 30-year-old Mora became notable when he played a key role for Mexico's surprising showing at Germany 2006, including an appearance in the final of the world's most prestigious international event.

Mora is a versatile player that has very solid all-around skills. He won't wow you with any elite abilities, but he is very good where it counts, and is a far above average player in all aspects of the game. He has the speed and finishing to be a quick striker, the crossing and dribbling skills of a very good winger and midfielder, and the mental aptitude to fit in with my better players (including strong team work skills).

He continues my run on temperamental Latino attacking midfielders, in the mold of José Alexander Amaya and Montaño.

Yakubu Called Up To Nigeria

Apparently, Africa is the only continent even thinking of running international competitions the past couple months, and it is running two (African Cup of Nations and World Cup qualifying for China 2010).

Yakubu was called up for the second time in a month to play with his native Nigeria. The national team will play on January 24 and January 28 in the African Cup of Nations competition, and he will be unavailable during that stretch, with maybe some overlap on the edges. We play Burnley in the FA Cup on January 24, and our rescheduled match with Chelsea is on January 28.

Let's hope Yakubu won't feel I am leaving him out of the lineup if he's gone for a couple matches. That's pretty much happened last time.

Liverpool

Any visit to Anfield is a big day. With an early win by Man Utd today, and the fact they were able to participate in Wednesday's round (the one we would have played Chelsea in), they actually leapfrogged us into first place by three points, but with two more matches played.

Liverpool has jumped to third place, so today's matchup will feature the third and second place squads of the Premiership.

Obviously, with the kind of talent they can put on the pitch, we have to respect them. They are good enough to beat us even when we're playing our uber-tactic.

The Reds use a 4-3-3, so they have an extra striker, and their midfield is more accurately described as three true midfielders, as opposed to a midfielder and two wingers.

Up front, three of the best in the biz start, with English international star Michael Owen joining up with the world's highest valued player in El-Hadji Diouf and French striker Anthony Le Tallec. The offensive talent isn't stunted in the midfield either, where Mark Bresciano and Harry Kewell form a powerful Australian duo around English international Steven Gerrard. The backline is also strong, of course, with Norwegian attacking fullback John Arne Riise leading the way. Long time Polish star netminder Jerzy Dudek is the last line of defense, and stars like striker Emile Heskey and centreback Sami Hyypiä ready to sub in.

This is a first eleven match, and it will also be the debut of our latest acquisition, Dudek's international teammate striker Emmanuel Olisadebe. The striker will take the place of Orri Freyr Oskarsson in the lineup. Andy Williams isn't quite ready (as I suspected), so Carl Motteram gets one more start on the left wing.

This one started off with limited shots, but the ones taken were good ones. The first ten minutes featured three high shots, with Yakubu and Olisadebe hitting shots over the goal for Tamworth and Liverpool getting an errant shot from Kewell.

The scoring didn't begin until the 12th minute. Michael Stewart had the ball in the center of the offensive pitch and he sent a nice straight pass into Montaño, just entering the box. Montaño blasted the ball right past Dudek for the first score.

The Reds would get it back quickly. In the 17th minute, Stewart got in the way of a centering pass from Kewell, but all that did was allow Le Tallec to move it up to fullback James Carragher. Despite kicking at an angle and through traffic, Carragher put in a hard shot just inside the right post for the tie. Liverpool almost added another one a few minutes later when Diouf came in alone on goal, but the striker sent an errant shot harmlessly into the side netting.

Leon Cort nearlessly gave Liverpool a score when he sent a pass up the centreline. Owen stepped up and intercepted it, and proceeded to go on an impressive and speedy counterattack that left David Raven in his dust. Jon Masalin had to stop a hard low shot from Owen, parrying it to the side. Cort cleared the ball out.

The Lambs would finally break through just before halftime, when Montaño moved the ball to Raven along the left edge of the box. The centreback moved it down to Motteram. Like Carragher, Motteram took a hard shot from the far edge of the box, but somehow managed to blast it past Dudek for the go ahead score.

The most important part of the first half, though, didn't involve a score. Just seconds before half time, centreback Djimi Traoré slid in on Montaño and drew a yellow card. Unfortunately, it was his second of the match, and he was off for good.

Despite the man advantage, it took a while for Tamworth to put it to good use. Carragher intercepted a nice David Prutton pass in the box and cleared it out in the 49th minute. And Dudek parried a tough half-volley from Olisadebe up close in the 60th minute.

The score finally came off of some brilliant work by Jim Corbett in the 67th minute. The winger took a throw-in pass and charged into the box, along the right goalline, dodging two or three defenders in the process. He sent a pass across the six-yard box to Yakubu, but the striker had to retreat under pressure. He moved it to Adam Wilde, charging in toward the goal. The substitute striker put a low hard shot straight into the open net for the 3-1 lead.

Despite bing a man down, Liverpool put together an amazing shot of its own to get back into it. In the 70th minute, two subs hooked up to provide the score. Rafael van der Vaart retrieved a corner clear out along the left touch line and sent a pass down to Florent Sinama-Pongolie, close to the same spot Motteram scored at in the 45th minute. Like Motteram, Pongolie unleashed a hard, high shot at the goalkeeper, and it somehow got past him to cut the deficit to one.

Tamworth didn't put it away until the 75th minute, when they used a nice set of passes to engineer a score. Wilde charged toward the left end of the box, but sent a box-crossing pass to Olisadebe, approaching the right touchline. The Polish striker sent the ball back to Darren Birchall, who hit a nice angled shot to catch the inside of the left post for the put away goal.

Despite playing a man down for half of a match, Liverpool gave us a serious test before falling. Tamworth 4, Liverpool 2

The win puts us back in a tie with Man Utd atop the table, and in first by goal differential. It also starts us off in our little mini-turnament with Liverpool. We play them again, same place as well, just a few days from now, when we meet them in the semifinals of the League Cup. Then we play them again in early February for the second leg of the same cup.

Yakubu Whines About His Contract

It's not a week in Tamworth if Yakubu doesn't complain about something. On Monday, January 19, rumors came out in the media that the Nigerian striker is unhappy with the terms of his current contract, and looking to negotiate a new deal to secure his future.

There's no doubting Yakubu's talent, but given his complaining ways and the fact he is signed up for two more years (June, 2011), I would have to say giving him an extension is the last thing I need right now. Not helping matters was what he was looking for. ALready among our top paid players at $1.2 M per year, the 26-year-old wants to be paid $2.3 M! That's actually not that high for a star in this league, or so I understand, but that's a lot higher than I am used to being allowed to give a player. The shocking thing was that the board was ready to authroize the offer. They must really love Yakubu. I will have to keep that in mind.

Assistant manager Terry Gennoe tells me I shouldn't offer hima new contract, and I agree, telling him he isn't getting that contract. Later that day, Yakubu's agent read a statement to the media on behalf of the striker, saying he had withdrawn his demands for a new contract, and apologized for allowing the contract issue to spill over into the media.

Man, I really do need to move this guy out.

League Transfer News

Lots happened this week, and that's not including the ton of things I already listed involving us (Fatih, Mora, Pazienza).

On Wednesday, January 14, Man Utd made a bid for more offense when they offered Everton $9 M for 31-year-old Danish winger Jesper Gronkjær. The winger has been a consistent, if unspactacular player for the Blues for years now, and also has stints with Arsenal and Chelsea on his resumé.

On Friday, January 16, Southampton raided Bristol City for help on the wing, although the aid won't come until after the season. Southampton signed away Bristol City's winger and fullback David Vaughan. The 25-year-old Welsh international is in his first season in the Premiership after playing regular roles with Bristol City and Crewe in the lower divisions. He will move over to Southampton on July 1.

Chelsea seems to be trying to move extra parts, and somehow decided that star striker Michael Chopra needed to go. On Saturday, January 17, the Blues sold the star English striker to Serie A's Napoli squad for $12.5 M initially, with a possible increase to $13.75 M on appearances. Chopra is having a great year--12 goals, 7 assists and a 7.25 rating in 20 appearances--so this is quite the risky move for Chelsea (not that they lack for depth, though).

League News

Things are getting testy for some of the teams performing poorly around the league.

On Wednesday, January 14, that became apparent in Manchester, when Man City manager Par Zetterberg ripped into Croatian midfielder Jurica Vranjes for his poor form of late. Man City fans seemed just as upset as Zetterberg, as a supporters' spokesperson announced the next day that they agreed with the manager's opinion of the midfielder's lethargic performances, and that he is making too much money ($1.6 M) to have an excuse.

On Friday, January 16, two of the better players in the league were involved in contract negotiations. Arsenal's young star goalkeeper Tony McDermott signed a three-year extension at $950,000 per year (and that's quite a bargain), while Newcastle's French fullback Olivier Bernard has shot down the club's efforts to resign him, with a breaking off of talks happening even as McDermott signed his new deal at Ashburton Grove. The fullback, in his prime, is in his Bosman period and is making just $850,000 per year. I would make a bid, but that's why I brought in Trond-Erik Bertelsen.

Nearly three months ago, star Leicester striker James Graham tore a groin muscle and missed the rest of the calendar year before returning early this month. The Foxes have suffered in his absence, but they are certainly happy to have him back now. After the Saturday round, Graham earned more plaudits for a strong performance against Colchester in a 2-0 win. The Scottish youth star didn't score, but his runs and shots on goal terrorized Colchester all match and earned him the Man of the Match.

Here is the Premiership League Team of the Week.

SC Ivica Olic (Southampton)-- 2 G, 8.50 rat in 2 matches
SC Adrian Mutu (Chelsea)-- 1 G, 1 A, MoM, 10 rat vs TOT
MF Scott Parker (Chelsea)-- 8 rat vs TOT
MF Jim Corbett (Tamworth)-- 1 A, MoM, 10 rat vs LIV
MF Darren Birchall (Tamworth)-- 1 G, 8 rat vs LIV
MF Fredy William Thompson (Aston Villa)-- 2 G, 7.50 rat in 2 matches
DF Patrice Evra (Man Utd)-- 7.50 rat in 2 matches
DF Rio Ferdinand (Man Utd)-- 8 rat in 2 matches
DF Danny Higginbotham (Southampton)-- 1 G, MoM, 8.50 rat in 2 matches
DF Richard Cotton (Man City)-- 8 rat vs NOT
GK Mark Brown (Bristol City)-- 18 sav, MoM, 8 rat in 2 matches

CR

[condors]

not sure if Yakubu is the same every game or random but he was on my rushden side for 4 seasons and was one of the highest average rating players every year(#1 twice) but he became unhappy and didn't get along with scott parker so i decieded to transfer list him and real madrid offered 23 million for him

i am enjoying the reading

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by condors

not sure if Yakubu is the same every game or random but he was on my rushden side for 4 seasons and was one of the highest average rating players every year(#1 twice) but he became unhappy and didn't get along with scott parker so i decieded to transfer list him and real madrid offered 23 million for him

i am enjoying the reading

There are set ratings initially and for potentials as well for most of these players, although some things may have been left on random. In my experience with NHL:EHM, this was most prevalent in the hidden mental characteristics, and I would imagine it is those that control how moody a player is. So I couldn't tell you how similar your Yakubu was to mine.

Yakubu does do good when he's on the pitch. He's not as dominating as I like, but he's still very good.

$23 M is a dream world, though, I would imagine. I mean, I got Yakubu from Everton after they had to lower thei demands for him to half his value back then (just under $4 M). I'm not sure I would get any interest.

Glad you're enjoying the reading.

CR

[Chief Rum]

Tuesday, January 20 To Monday, January 26

The Premiership fixture takes a break this week while the next round of cup competitions are played. On Wednesday, we meet Liverpool at Anfield again, this time for the first leg of the English League Cup semifinal, then on Saturday, we host First Division Burnley in the fourth round of the FA Cup. Incidentally, both Chelsea and Nottingham Forest won their third round replays and will be a second matchup of Premiership squads in the next round. The first one is the high-profile matchup of Newcastle and Man Utd.

Liverpool, First Leg of English League Cup Semifinal

Weren't we just here?

In an odd scheduling quirk, we happen to be playing Liverpool at Anfield for the second time in four days. And we will be playing them again in Tamworth in two weeks, when we wrap this two-leg semifinal of the English League Cup. So this is a bit strange.

In Saturday's 4-2 loss to us, the Reds played us fairly even at full strength for an entire half, and then lost in the second half, after we scored two goals against a depleted defense that was a man short, courtesy of Djimi Traoré's 45th minute send off.

So I don't anticipate a repeat of Saturday's match, but a much closer affair.

That seems to be Liverpool manager Alex McLeish's belief, as he throws almost exactly the same lineup out there today. The only difference is the insertion of centreback Sami Hyyplä for Traoré, whom, of course, cannot play today, with the automatic one-match suspension for the send off in place.

Personally, I suspect Liverpool might be better off with Hyyplä in there anyway.

As for us, we are going with our second eleven squad, so we have an essentially new lineup out there. Richie Partridge is still nursing his minor injury, so Chris Booth gets the call at right wing. Andy Williams is ready to go now (or close enough), but I have determined him to be our first eleven left winger. Since I am holding him out for that, and new second eleven left winger Carl Motteram is still tired from the last Liverpool match, Lionel Morgan will get another call here, in the lineup for which he has started all season.

You won't believe how this went in the early going. Around the 11th and 12th minutes, Liverpool got a little too rough. Striker El-Hadji Diouf pushed defender Tieme Klompe on a corner, and when he was whistled for the foul, he argued with the ref. The official didn't appreciate that and carded him. On the ensuing goal kick to the centreline, Harry Kewell backed into Andrei Pereplyotkin and was called for a foul. That set up a free kick from the right centreline by Booth, who sent a long pass toward the penalty area. After the ball was bandied about near the edge, Hyyplä bodychecked Pereplyotkin for the ball, and was called for Liverpool's third foul in less than two minutes. Diouf found something to his disliking here as well and argued with the ref again. Bad move, El-Hadji...just 12 minutes into the match, Diouf got his second yellow card and was sent off, making this the second straight Tamworth-Liverpool match in which the Reds have to play a man down.

Despite being put on the advantage again, we would struggle to score in the first half, as Liverpool does still have quite a lot of talent. In the 20th minute, David Marcelo Cortez Pizarro came in alone on Jerzy Dudek, but put an awful shot off to the right of the goal. In the 44th minute, we came closest to scoring when Pizarro volleyed a Morgan pass down to Louis Saha just to the left of the left post. The striker unleashed a hard shot at the goal, but Dudek was positioned perfectly. He sent the ball back out, where it was immediately cleared.

In fact, Liverpool had as many good shots at it as we did in the first half. In the 20th minute, defender J'Lloyd Samuel blasted a shot from the left edge that sailed just over the crossbar. And in the 25th minute, Micheal Owen used some nice moves to get into the box and to the right goal line before setting up Anthony Le Tallec with a nice pass back inf ront of the goal. All Le Tallec had to do was kick it in, but he sailed it too high, and it went over the crossbar.

The Lambs finally got on the board with some nice work between Saha and Pereplyotkin. Saha took a pass from Gaël Clichy into the box, moving to the left goal line. From there, he sent a low pass across the goal mouth. Pereplyotkin, reading the play, stepped through a small hole between Hyyplä and midfielder Mark Bresciano and just got enough on the ball to put it into the net for the first score of the match.

Liverpool wouldn't go away easy. In the 60th minute, Bresciano sent a pass into the box for Owen to move onto. Owen raced his marker, Klompe, to the ball and just edged him out, unleashing a hard shot at the goal. Thomas Heaton went out ont he rush and took the shot up close, parrying it to his left. Clichy got to the ball first and cleared it. Liverpool also came close with a shot by Steven Gerrard from the left of the goal that went too high in the 64th minute.

It finally took a string of Tamworth offensive pushes and an amazing kick to move us up a notch. Giovanny Hernáandez started the sequence by having his shot deflected over the crossbar by Dudek. The Reds cleared out the following corner, but then got called for a foul on Mark Hicks near the right edge of the area. Hernández sent the resulting indirect freekick toward the six-yard box, but it was headed out to just beyond the edge of the box by winger Rafael van der Vaart. Hicks stepped up and, on the volley, blasted a shoulder high shot at the right post. Dudek was on the shot, but it ricocheted off of his hands and up into the corner of the net for an incredible 25-yard strike and a 2-0 Tamworth lead.

The Lambs really put it away in the 74th minute, when Hernández won free to the right of the goal on a poor punch out by Dudek. Hicks moved the ball up to the midfielder, who kicked a nice cross-goal shot into the left side netting for the put away goal.

The match moved into the sublime in the 79th minute, when Gerrard argued not once, but twice on a foul (that wasn't even his own), despite already having a yellow on his docket. He was summarily tossed after being given all the leeway, and for the first time I actually had a two-man advantage over someone. We didn't score again, though. Tamworth 3, Liverpool0

If I was McLeish, I suppose I would be pissed off at the refs (8 yellows & 2 reds on Liverpool to just 2 yellows on us, 16-13 in fouls as well). If I was me (and the game allowed me to do so), I think I would be ripping into McLeish and his lack of a "leish" on his players, whom have managed to get three of their players sent off for rough play and poor sportsmanship in two matches against us.

Alas, I don't yet have the capability to rip into the other manager (reports are that might be in FM 2005, though).

Pazienza Signs With Hertha BSC

Well, it was fun to get in a big transfer-war like that.

On Thursday, January 22, Chelsea's Italian midfielder Michele Pazienza accepted the offer from Bundesliga power Hertha BSC, and turned down several offers from other clubs, incuding ourselves, Man City, Werder Bremen, Bielefeld and Leverkusen.

The 26-year-old Pazienza has been disgruntled at Chelsea, where he wasn't getting much playing time.

At least he didn't stay in the Premiership.

Burnley, Fourth Round of FA Cup

We once again drew a First Division opponent in cup competition, one round after playing Ipswich. Burnley isn't the high First Division squad Ipswich is, though, and I don't expect this match to be a tough test. Even so, I wil still be throwing out a top lineup to take care of business.

The match is taking place on Saturday, January 24, at the Lamb Ground, which means that normal first eleven striker Yakubu is away with Nigeria. Orri Freyr Oskarsson returns to his starting role in Yakubu's place, and will be paired with the player who bumped him to the backup team in Emmanuel Olisadebe. Meanwhile, Andy Williams is set for his debut on the left wing, which will officially bump Carl Motteram back to the second eleven and Lionel Morgan to the backup team.

Tamworth put immediate pressure on Burnley in the 4th minute. Olisadebe got free on a run and unleashed a shot that sailed over the crossbar. On the ensuing goalkick, the Lambs worked it back to the goal, with Johnnier Montaño taking on an Andy Williams pass near the center of the edge of the box. He headed a hard pass to the side, which ricocheted off of defender Danny Edge and bounced to Oskarsson, free to the left of the goal. The striker fired a shot at the near post, and his shot bounced right off of Burnley goalkeeper Ben Williams and into the net. The ref waved itoff, though, Olisadebe moved offside.

It wouldn't take long for the Lambs to remedy that mistake for Oskarsson. In the 7th minute, Gaël Clichy had the ball near the left end of the centreline. He worked slowly up the line against soft coverage and waited for a break from Oskarsson. When the striker went into the box, Clichy placed a perfect pass right onto Oskarsson. He fired it from a sharp angle across the goal mouth, catching the right post and into the net for the first score.

Tamworth continued to threaten after that. Williams just managed to block a close shot by Montaño in the 11th minute. Mcihael Stewart blasted a long shot over the bar on the ensuing goal kick. A mintue later, Williams deflected another Montaño shot over the bar. And in the 18th minute, Andy Williams and Oskarsson worked a nice give-and-go that freed the striker up on the goalkeeper, but Ben Williams got his hands on Oskarsson's angled shot and sent it up the line, where it crossed the goal line harmlessly.

Tamworth finally broke through again in the 22nd minute, when Stewart sent a long cross-pitch pass to Oskarsson near the left edge of the box. Oskarsson headed the pass up to Montaño, who was splitting the defense on a run intot he box. The midfielder put a hard shot into the right end of the net for the 2-0 lead.

Burnley tightened up the defense after that, and we didn't get another score. Fortunately, they never could solve our defense, and Jon Masalin put up the clean sheet. Tamworth 2, Burnley 0

One notable play came in the 48th minute, when Olisadebe entered the box ont he right with a good look at the goal. His shot blew past Ben Williams, but it struck the right post and went back out into the area, where Williams cleared it. It would have been Olisadebe's first goal for the Lambs, had it gone in.

With the win, Tamworth moves on to the FA Cup's 5th round. We were given $120,000 for the win.

Other Notable FA Cup Fourth Round Results

There were some very significant results in the latest round of England's most prestigious cup. Quite frankly, it wasn't a very strong day for the highest level of competition in the Premiership.

No less than four different Premiership squads lost to lower division squads today, and two others will have to play again after they were drawn by similarly lowly opponents.

Two other Premiership squads lost in matchups between EPL teams, meaning six of England's top squads are out, with another two on the line in the replay on February 4.

The two big matchups took place in Bury and Manchester. In Bury, the Second Division Bury squad pulled off an amazing 1-0 upset over Liverpool, which has had an awful week. The Reds were playing without regulars striker El-Hadji Diouf and midfielder Steven Gerrard due to suspension after both were sent off in their loss to us. Still, they have no excuse for losing this one. They weren't the only Premiership squad to fall to a Second Division team, as Wycombe beat Bristol City, 2-0.

The other huge match in Manchester was at Old Trafford, where the round's biggest match featured Man Utd hosting Newcastle. The Magpies got a big game from Shay Given, as he put up the clean sheet on powerful Man Utd, and Shola Ameobi scored the only goal in a 1-0 road win for Newcastle. In the other Premiership-only matchup, Chelsea beat Nottingham Forest 1-0 at Stamford Bridge.

The other Premiership squads to lose was table-supporting Colchester, which got thumped hard by First Division Norwich, 4-0, and Sheffield Wednesday fell in a close one, 1-0, to First Division Scunthorpe.

Third Division Reading continued a mini-Cinderella run by drawing with Leicester at home and forcing a replay. The other Premiership squad draw involved Fulham, which tied 1-1 at home with First Division Crystal Palace.

Only five Premiership squads have won through to the fifth round of the FA Cup, with two more possibilities from the replays. The five teams that are through are Tamworth, Arsenal, Chelsea, Newcastle and Blackburn.

This competition, which usualyl dominated by high-level squads, has seen three First Division squads among its last four finalists the past two seasons.

The draw for the fifth round will be held on Tuesday, January 27.

League Transfer News

Man Utd appears to be stepping up their efforts to bring in Everton's Danish winger Jesper Gronkjær. With their offer last week of $9 M apparently turned down, the Red Devils offered young Belgian defender and midfielder Floribert Ngalula Mbuyi in a straight-up Yankee-style trade on Tuesday, January 20. Is it a step up, though, from $9 M? I guess that depends on how Everton views the 21-year-old Mbuyi, whom has seen significant time for Begium's U-21 squad and saw part time starting duty on Man Utd's powerful backline last year. One difference--Mbuyi is in his Bosman period, and Man Utd has had very little success in moving him, dropping their requests from $1.9 M to just $400,000.

The deal fell through a few days later, though, when Mbuyi instead took an offer from Serie A's Perugia in a Bosman transfer. Mbuyi will move over to the Italian club on July 1, while Man Utd will have to go another route if they want to bring aboard Gronkjær.

One of the notable things about Arsenal's goalkeeping crew is that they happen to have England's number one and number two netminders on the same team. It boggles the mind that a national goalkeeper for a strong nation like England isn't even starting in league, but that's the case for Chris Kirkland, backing up young phenom Tony McDermott at Ashburton Grove. The Bundesliga's 1960 Munchen decided to make a bid on the goalkeeper on Tuesday, January 20. They offered $2.4 M for the 27-year-old.

Arsenal was apparently looking to move him, as they accepted the offer. 1860 Munchen officially worked out a contract with Kirkland on Saturday, January 24, and brought him over to Germany. It should be noted that when I made similar offers for the goalkeeper in the past year and a half, Arsenal asked for much more or efused to deal at all, the bastards.

Milan is flashing around its excesses of cash. On Tuesday, January 20, it made separate $24 M offers to FC Bayern for star Brazilian winger Alex and to Arsenal for Italian midfielder Gennaro Ivan Gattuso.

Like last month, though, bringing on Alex apparently is no simple thing. Milan would withdraw their offer for the winger four days later, no doubt because FC Bayern's counteroffer was not to their liking. The Gattuso bid didn't go so easily either, as Milan upped its offer to $26 M on Sunday, January 25.

The Landon Donovan sweepstakes wrapped up on Wednesday, January 21. The American midfielder and forward agreed to a deal with 1.FC.Köln, turning down offers from Wolfsburg and Man City. The Duisburg 26-year-old officially moved up a level in the Bundesliga, at a pricetag of $6.5 M in transfer fees.

German midfielder Patrick Ochs, a regular with Wolverhampton at both the Premiership and First Division levels the past three seasons, agreed to a Bosman transfer deal with Nottingham Forest on Thursday, January 22. He will join Forest on July 1. The 24-year-old is just under a 7 rating in 28 appearances this season.

On Friday, January 23, Colchester agreed to a Bosman transfer with 27-year-old Sierra Leonean striker Paul Kpaka of the Belgian First Division's Genk. Kpaka has played little for Genk this season, but scored 14 goals in 41 appearances last year. He will join Colchester on July 1.

Milan isn't the only squad "gunning" for an English league midfielder. On Friday, January 23, Genoa worked out a $12 M deal transfer deal with Liverpool for French midfielder Benoît Pedretti. Predretti only sees sporadic play with the Reds. The 28-year-old is not to be confused with young Charlton winger Bruno Pedretti, who recently told media he wasn't satisfied with his contract earlier this month.

Also on Friday, January 23, Blackburn loaned young left back Matthew Sadler from fellow Premiership squad, Birmingham. The loan is through the end of the season. The 23-year-old defender has been a regular on the Blues' backline the past season and a half, starting 44 matches in that time, and averaging a 6.94 rating this season.

The Spurs made a big move on Saturday, January 24, when they made an $8.5 M offer to Scottish power Celtic for striker Stefan Moore. The former Aston Villa player has done well in Scotland (12 goals in about a season's worth of matches across two seasons). Aston Villa rarely gave the 25-year-old striker a chance here in England, so moving to Tottenham could give him a chance to prove them wrong.

Southampton droipped $7 M in transfer fees and rising Northern Irish star David McConnell on Saturday, January 24. Despite being just 19, McConnell already has five caps and two international goals. McConnell, versatile enough to play both forward and defender, has dominated the First Division with Ipswich since he was just 17. He has scored 17, 26 and 21 goals the last three years, and also displayed strong passing skills (29 assists in that time), and was putting up a Tamworth-like 8.19 rating when Southampton brought him aboard. Now that's the kind of player I should have been paying more attention to.

The transfer deadline for English clubs is the end of the month, January 31.

Other League News

Sheffield Wednesday striker Francis Jeffers suffered a torn groin muscle in training on Tuesday, January 20, hurting the club's chances at a spot in Europe next year. The former Southampton striker is probably Sheffield Wednesday's premier offensive player. He has eight goals in 13 appearances this season, and this is his third major injury in the past six months, after missing three weeks two separate times earlier this season for two unrelated injuries. This time, the 28-year-old will be out for two months.

Tottenham right winger Simon Davies isn't too keen on his falling role with the Spurs this season. The 29-year-old Welshman has been a key component of Tottenham's midfield since 2001, but he has only appeared in five matches this season. He missed the first two months of the season (and the last month of the 2007-08 season) with a slipped disk in his back, but has been healthy since October.

On Tuesday, January 20, he told the Times he was unsatisfied with the decision of Spurs' manager Eddie Gray to leave him off of the first team. He said Gray doesn't have enough experience at the Premiership levelk, and that he wouldn't know a good player if he saw one. What is surprising about that is that the venerable 61-year-old Gray has been managing Tottenham for three years, following a stint at the helm of Leeds, which was also in the Premiership at the time.

While the article was kinda odd, I tend to agree with Davies. He's not a bad player and even valued at $16.5 M. The Spurs aren't good enough to be playing a guy like that just five times in half of a season.

On Wednesday, January 21, Irish defender Chris Griffiths was reported by the Daily Star to be unhappy with his current deal. The 19-year-old Birmingham defender has nine U-21 caps for Ireland already, but wasn't starting regularly for the Blues until this season. He has a 6.78 rating in 27 appearances this year. He is currently making just $60,000 per year, and is on the Bosman period of his contract.

There were no Premiership matches this week, so there isn't a Premiership Team of the Week either.

CR

[Chief Rum]

Tuesday, January 27 To Monday, February 2

We return to Premiership action this week after a week of cup competitions. On Wednesday, January 28, we play the home match against Chelsea that had to be pushed back to make way for Chelsea's third round replay in the FA Cup two weeks ago. Then on Sunday is the big one (as if Chelsea is small potatoes...), when we welcome our primary league contender in Man Utd to the Lamb Ground.

The last time we played the Red Devils, they smacked us at their place in an early September match (4-2 loss, the one where Jon Masalin moved all the way up into the offensive pitch for some reason, allowing Man Utd to score an improbable goal from behind the right centreline). Also, the winner will have the clear advantage the rest of the way in the league fight.

FA Cup Fifth Round Drawn

On Tuesday, January 27, the fifth round of the FA Cup was drawn.

Thus far, we have drawn First Division squads in this competition. That trend would continue today, when we drew former Premiership stalwart Leeds United. Leeds is no doubt a shell of what it once was, but it's a decently rated squad for its division (currently eighth), and there are a sprinkling of familiar names here and there, such as midfielder Eirik Bakke, winger James Milner and a former English national team goalkeeper in Paul Robinson. I still have Milner on my shortlist. They also happen to have my top young prospect in Mark Hooper currently on loan. And to be honest, I don't even remember if the terms of our deal included allowing him to play against us (one of these day's I'll have to go over my U-19 team, so everyone will know what I have coming, besides the Slovakians, that is).

Back to Leeds. They have been in the First Division since the 2005-06 season, and they haven't finished in the division's top ten yet, so this is probably one we should win, even at Elland Road. I wonder if they are financially healthy again? (I checked, it said "Insecure", so I guess not)

We meet up with the Whites on February 14.

Perhaps it's just a reflection of the fall of so many Premiership squads in the earlier rounds, but this round won't feature a single matchup between two teams from England's highest level.

Newcastle hosts Norwich, which is third in the First Division and smacked EPL club Colchester in the fourth round. Arsenal hosts Rushden, which has the riches but not the pedigree (13th in D1) of a big club. Blackburn has to travel to First Division Scunthorpe, but the home team is struggling to stay out of relegation to the Second Division, so that shouldn't be much of a match. Chelsea hosts Wycombe, which beat Bristol City, but, still, this is Chelsea, and Wycombe is a Second Division team. If Fulham and Leicester win through on their replays next week, they will play Coventry and Bury, respectively. Bury pulle doff the biggest upset of the last round when they beat Liverpool at home.

All told, there are sixteen spots in the competition for the fifth round.

Chelsea

Chelsea is still a top five squad in England, but they aren't as recognizable as they used to be. Crespo and Gallas have been gone for half a year. Chopra and Pazienza have been moved in the past two weeks.

But this team still has their latest superstar in Adrian Mutu, who might be the top player in the Premiership right now. Dutch star Arjen Robben remains, and recent purchase, former Roma and Spurs striker Jermain Defoe rounds out a threesome up front in Chelea's 4-3-3 tactic. Defoe scored 19 goals for Tottenham just two seasons ago.

Joe Cole, Scott Parker and Aliaksandr Hleb have been together for some years now, and is one of the more accomplished midfields on the island. Damien Duff, himself a top winger, comes off the bench. Gallas may be gone, but England's second national centreback John Terry remains in place. He and recent fullback acquisition Aleksandre Amisulashvili form high points on a good backline fronting solid Czech goalkeeper Petr Cech.

This is a second eleven match, but it is the first time Carl Motteram and Richie Partridge have been paired as wingers since last year. Motteram has been moved to the second eleven by the return of Andy Williams, and Partridge just healed up from his groin strain. The only other difference is Justin Skinner is getting a rare start at left fullback, with Gaël Clichy a little tired.

We got the early shots off. In the 13th minute, David Marcelo Cortez Pizarro went on a run toward the box in which he split Parker and centreback Robert Huth. He let loose a long, but hard low shot between the two at goal, but Cech parried it off to the right, and then cleared it. Denny Landzaat took another good long shot a minute later that Cech could only put off to the left. Saha was first on it, with a hole between the post and an approaching Cech, but his shot went into the side netting. Then in the 19th minute, Landzaat found Pizarro on a run into the box, but the midfielder blasted his shot over the goal.

So despite our early control, it was Chelsea that put up the first score. In the 22nd minute, Cole found Robben in the left end of the box. Robben drew attention from the defense and from Thomas Heaton as he approached the left goal line. Once there, he sent a sharp, low pass across the goal mouth. Mutu stuck his leg out of the crowd and put the ball in on redirect for the first score of the match.

Tamworth wouldn't stay down for long, though, as Cech made a couple of mistakes in net for Chelsea. In the 36th minute, Partridge since an on-the-mark long pass from behind the right centreline onto the outer edge of the area and Lousi Saha. The French striker beat Huth in the air and headed a hard shot off of Partridge's pass right at the goal. Cech was on it, but he allowed a rebound to the left. Saha jumped onto it first and kicked it into the open left side of the net for the tie score.

Just a couple minutes later, Cech didn't just allow a rebound, but made a bad decision that led to a score. Skinner sent a long pass forward to Saha, near the left corner of the box. Saha beat Huth in the air again and sent a hard, high pass toward the front of the goal and a hard-charging Pizarro. The pass was off, though, and seemed headed harmlessly across the right goal line. For some reason, Cech decided to step up and stop the pass. He fumbled it, though, and the ball deflected off to his right. Pizarro was first on the ball and kicked in the easy goal behind the frozen Cech.

This match got into the very interestign mode, though, early in the second half. In the 49th minute, Andrei Pereplytokin was making a run into the box when he collided into Terry. Pereplytokin took the worst of it, and clutched his leg as he fell to the pitch. He had to be carted off the field, and early indications aren't good for the striker, who seemed to be in great pain.

As Tamworth sent Mark Hicks on to the pitch as a sub, some of the Lambs apparently started bad mouthing Terry and Chelsea over the Pereplytokin injury. In quick succession, Hleb kicked Carl Motteram, and Parker pushed away Skinner. The refs intervened before it could go further, but it had gone far enough--Hleb was sent off with a red card, and Parker given a yellow--his second of the match! I have never seen two guys booted at the same time. Getting to watch them slowly and moodily walk off was certainly a unique experience.

The Lambs then immediately took advantage of the surprise two-man advantage, although it took a wonderful play by Partridge to make it happen. In the 53rd minute, Kevin Gorman sent a throw in at the right goal line near the box. Partridge, closely marked by Amisulashvili, just managed to chase the ball down at the line and send a sharp pass up the line toward the center of the goal. Saha jumped up and caught the pass, heading it into the net on the volley for his second goal of the match, and a 3-1 lead.

It would prove insurmountable for a team playing on the road and two men down. Tamworth 3, Chelsea 1

Probably the most surprising thing (other than that this is the third straight match against a Premiership opponent in which at least one player was sent off) is that we didn't score again after that.

Chelsea Aftermath

For an incidental Premiership match, Wednesday's victory over Chelsea brought with it an awful lot of news.

Obviously, Hleb and Parker won't be playing for the Blues next time around. Hleb would soon discover he had been given a three-match suspension in addition to his automatic one-match ban.

On our end, Motteram didn't draw a card in the frackas, but he did get one in play during the match, and it turned out to be his fifth one of the season. For that, he too will miss our next domestic match, against Man Utd. Of course, it's a first eleven match anyway, but he won't be available regardless.

We set another record for attendance with 32030. The total is ten fans more than the previous record, set last month in a 5-1 win over Newcastle. It seems likely that mark itself could fall in four days, when we host powerful and popular Man Utd.

All of this news pales in consideration to our report on Pereplyotkin's injury, though. The Ukrainian striker, and our leading scorer with 15 goals, has broken his leg and will almost certainly miss the rest of the season. He is on the books for sure for four months, and that will liekly mean full recovery won't happen until the offseason in June.

Pereplyotkin's loss is a harsh one for our club. He is one of our influential leaders (18 Influence). He and Saha have formed a powerful striker combo, and have been probably our best and most consistent offensive performers this year. He is our top goal scorer at 15. He has developed into one of the top strikers in the Premiership. For all these reasons, this is a very bad injury for our squad to suffer. Media pundits are saying it's going to seriously derail our shot at the title.

I'm not so much of a pessimist, considering our depth at the position, although I am very concerned at losing the offensive potency that the Saha-Pereplyotkin duo was giving us. This solves the potential issue of what to do with Oskarsson and Olisadebe. I haven't decided which yet, but one of those two will drop to the second eleven to matchup with Saha, while Oskarsson will regain his regular spot on one of the two elevens, probably the first one, next to his old partner Yakubu.

Regardless, I'm just going to have to cross my fingers that this doesn't dull the effectiveness of our second eleven, which, truth be told, has been better than the first eleven.

In fact, I went back and did the math. The first eleven is 13-0-5 this year. The second eleven? 15-1-0! That's right, the second eleven has not been beaten yet, and the only blemish was that 2-2 draw with Everton in early November.

Leicester Makes Offer On Heaton

On Friday, January 30, Leicester offered us $1.9 M and veteran defender Riccardo Scimeca for second eleven goalkeeper Thoams Heaton.

Heaton is not listed, nor am I making him available. Frankly, he is obviously the top goalkeeper on the squad, based on performance this year, while the only other candidate, Masalin, has proven to be inconsistent in two seasons of regular time.

Both are young (Masalin is 23, Heaton 22) and well-skilled. Masalin, though, has allowed 25 goals in 20 matches, against 20 goals in 18 matches by Heaton. Is the difference awe-inspiring? No. But I have watched them both enough to figure Heaton is the goalkeeper of the future, at least as things stand right now. If I had gotten Ceylan Fatih, Masalin would have been listed already.

Heaton is currently valued at $2.2 M, and it seems likely that Leicester was aiming for some equivalent deal. We have no desire to move Heaton, though, no real need for an over-the-hill defender, nor any desparate need for the low money offered.

So I turn the Foxes down, saying Heaton is an important first team player.

Board Confidence Update

Same shit, new month.

The Tamworth board are absolutely thrilled with the level of commitment you continue to show to the club.

Boy, will they be surprised when I tire of the challenge and go for something new.

January Premiership Awards

Adrian Mutu won the Player of the Month award for January, his second straight honor in this category. He continues to be a top player for Chelsea.

Last year, Leicester's James Graham was a constant presence in the English Premier Division Young Player of the Month award. After returning from his midseason injury, Graham won this award for the first time this season.

Man Utd manager Joop Hiele won his second Manager of the Month award in three months, as he led his squad to another undefeated month. I get no respect at all.

None of the goals of the month involved Tamworth, either offensively or defensively.

Man Utd

The big day has come. Hopefully, I can dampen Hiele's mood just hours after he was named the Premiership's Manager of the Month.

As usual, the Red Devils' lineup is stocked with stars, although it's not as bad as it could have been (Rio Ferdinand wasn't selected). The usual superstars in Miroslav Klose and Nicolas Anelka were up front, with Sidney Govou and Crisitiano Ronaldo in the lineup in a scary wing combo. The midfield was handled by steady regulars Gaetano D'Agostino and Eric Djemba-Djemba. While the backline was missing Ferdinand and didn't start Bernd Korzynietz, it still looked very strong with John O'Shea heading it. His partner in the backfield was Phillip Bardsley. In addition, midfielder Keiran Richardson and solid backup striker Guiseppe Sculli were on the sub list with Korzynietz. Fabien Bathez, as usual, started in net.

This was a first eleven match for us. Gaël Clichy started at leftback for Hermann Hreidasrsson to recover the start he lost last match to Justin Skinner, and Lionel Morgan was in for Andy Williams on the left wing, as the first eleven winger still needs a lot of match practice to get back into full match playing shape. Up front, Yakubu returns from missing two matches with Nigeria. He starts along side Orri Freyr Oskarsson, who returns to the starting lineup in anticipation of Emmanuel Olisadebe dropping down to the second eleven to replace the injured Andrei Pereplyotkin.

The last time we played, Man Utd really put it to us, 4-2, at Old Trafford. It was probably the worst match of the season for us. So i wasn't too surprised how this one started.

Man Utd won a corner in the 2nd minute. Although the corner was cleared out rather than headed toward the goal, it merely set up the follow-up play. D'Agostino, who was coming in from the original corner, got to the clear out in the right end of the area, and sent a curling pass back to center, toward the outer edge of the box. Bardsley jumped for the ball and headed a shot that sailed over a charging Masalin for the first score.

We had a great chance to tie it up in the 30th minute. Johnnier Montaño had the ball in front of the centre-circle and drew attention from the Man Utd defense. That allowed Yakubu to move a step ahead of the defense on the left end of the box. Montaño moves the ball forward to Yakubu, who moes in alone on Barthez. The French goalkeeper is ready, though, and blocks the hard shot after rushing out. D'Agostino cleared it out to end the threat.

The play would merely be repeated a few minutes later, though, as Yakubu was early on displaying a canny skill to get space on the Red Devil defenders. Leon Cort sent a terrific pass from the defensive half of the pitch up to Yakubu, agains charging into the box on the left side, Bardsley in on his tale. This time, Yakubu blasted the shot just to Bathez's left and the netminder was unable to get his hands on the hard shot. It slammed into the net for the equaliser.

I couldn't believe what happened in the 43rd minute. Bardsley, whom had played a key role in the match so far (scored Man Utd's goal, was man-marking Yakubu on Tamworth's goal), obstructed Montaño on a run, and was ticketed with a yellow. It was his second, after he earlier obstructed yakubu, and for the fourth straight match against Premiership squads, our opponent had at least one player sent off in the match.

Still, Man Utd is too good to just assume victory in a situation like this, even with a man advantage. It took a terrific shot to break the 1-1 stalemate in the 51st minute. Michael Stewart tried to move a pass from the centre of the pitch up to Yakubu, but O'Shea headed the ball directly back. Stewart then adjusted and moved the pass a little more directly toward the goal, allowing Yakubu just a whisper of an edge int he race to the ball. The Nigerian striker didn't have time to move the ball once he got to it, with O'Shea preparing to relieve him of the ball, so he unleashed a hard, lwo shot just inside the left post from the edge of the area while on the run. It was a terrific shot that blasted through a tight hole between the post and a seemingly surprised Barthez for Yakubu's second goal.

Considering the dificulty of that shot and the fact that Man Utd would go on to hold off the Lambs for some time--despite being a man down--I think that shows just how much talent we were facing in our opponent today. We clung to a 2-1 lead for most of the second half. Finally, in the 74th minute, a Djemba-Djemba foul got us a freekick from the middle of the offensive pitch, off to the right. Chris Booth, in for Jim Corbett on sub, sent a pass up to Yakubu, just outside the center of the edge of the area. There were as many as four Man Utd defenders, besides Barthez, blocking Yakubu from the goal, so the Nigerian striker, who was simply on fire today, went with an odd shot, using his outside foot to fire a curling shot over and toward the right post. The shot was kicked well enough to simply curl around the defenders, and Barthez seemed frozen as yet another wonderful shot fell into the right side of the net for the put-away goal. Oskarsson would add two late goals, including a beauty of a narrow angle shot that he had to blast between Barthez and a defender to score, to turn this one into a rout. Tamworth 5, Man Utd 1

This was a huge statement match for us, and with it we had a six-point lead in the Premiership for the first time this season.

Yakubu, who recently complained about his contract and role with the club, let his play do the talking in this one, having his best match of the season. Oskarsson, returned to a regular eleven spot by Pereplyotkin's injury, made it clear himself he probably shouldn't have left the role in the first place. Pereplyotkin who?

As I suspected, we set a new club record for attendance, when we brought in 32033 for this one. That's just three fans more than we had for Chelsea four days ago, which was the last record for attendance we had. With a 32045 capacity ground, we don't have too much further to go up (without expansion, that is, and I am not planning to push for it after the changes we have made in the past year).

Against Chelsea, Motteram reached the five-yellow card limit to miss this match (although he wouldn't have played anyway). He will now be availabel for the next win, but first eleven right winger Corbett got his fifth yellow card aginst Man Utd and won't be available for the next match with the automatic domestic ban.

League Transfer News

It's the last week in the trasnfer window for English clubs, officially ending on Saturday, January 31. Here's what went down.

Two notable name moves kicked off the week when former French international fullback Vincent Candela was brought in by Man Utd, while Chelsea dropped a chuck of change to bring in midfielder Leonardo Ponzio, both on Tuesday, January 27.

Man Utd signed the 35-year-old vet defender away from Roma for $900,000. It appears that Candela's physical skills have deteriorated into the lower double digits, but he still seems to be very strong mentally and technically, and looks like a key signing. Despite that, media pundits apparently ripped the move as a waste of money. Candela rebuked the critics in an interview with The Daily Star later that day, saying he sees no reason why he won't be able to play at his current high standard through the end of his contract. He is signed through June 2012, so I would have to agree with the critics (he will be almost 38 when it ends) in the long run, although for $900,000, this is just a drop in the bucket for Man Utd. And Candela is good enough now at least to help out. He had four assists and a 6.91 rating in 11 appearances with Roma this season, and was also very solid last year for them (two goals, six assists, 7.05 rating in 44 appearances).

Ponzio, who comes in from Primera Liga Second Division squad Zaragoza, cost Chelsea a good deal more, at $12 M. He seems to be worth it, though. The Argentinian defensive midfielder has terrific ratings and, at 27, is in his prime. He only has two caps for Argentina, but apparently he played long enough at the highest levels in Spain to not have to worry about a work permit. He had three goals and trhee assists to goa logn with a 7.00 rating in 24 appearances for the Spanish club. Zaragoza has been at the second level in Spain for the past couple seasons, but were a Primera Liga regular prior to that. Ponzio has started 30 or more matches for the club going back four seasons now.

He's not exactly a big name player, but the media tends to overhype stories when the deadline approaches. On Tuesday, January 27, Everton manager Claudio Ranieri said he is willing to listen to offers for 24-year-old part time midfielder Alan Moogan. Moogan seems to be a decent player, but he doesn't really get too much regular playing time, with just one appearance this year (although he scored a goal in it). The defensive midfielder appeared in 12 matches last year and 16 in 2006-07. Ranieri's announcement came after rumors came out that Second Division Barnsley were looking to bring on Moogan.

Moogan and his agent themselves say not much is going on yet in the Barnsley possibility, though. On Wednesday, January 28, the agent for the midfielder told reporters from Football365.com that neither he nor his client had yet to have contact with Barnsley.

Birmigham seems to be in the mode of supplying backline players to the world right now. Just days after loaning Matthew Sadler to Blackburn, and looking to possibly move disgruntled youth back Chris Griffiths, the Blues move youthful Scottish U-21 regular Mark Reilly to Leicester for $700,000 on Tuesday, January 27. Considering he is just 21 and already has 11 U-21 caps with Scotland, I have to think Leicester did really well to get Reilly for what they did, although I only have him partially scouted. Reilly, who is versatile enough to play either on the wing or at fullback, appeared in 14 matches for Birmingham this season, with two goals, three assists and a 6.94 rating. This is a season after the young defender appeared in 30 matches for the Blues last year. Why Birmingham seems so intent to move these good looking young defenders, I couldn't tell you.

Nottingham Forest made a high-profile move Wednesday, January 28, when they brought in German international striker Benjamin Lauth on loan from the Bundesliga's HSV. The 27-year-old forward has been phenomenal in the Bundesliga this year, scoring 13 goals and dishing out eight assists in 23 appearances in Germany. Last year, he did even better, with 18 goals and 10 assists in 34 appearances. Lauth will be with Nottingham Forest throught he end of the season.

In a move of unknown importance beyond the strength of the clubs involved, Serie A squad Perugia signed away Irish U-21 midfielder Peter Bird away from Liverpool. The Bosman transfer of the 19-year-old will take place on July 16. Bird, a Reds' youth academy product, has only appeared in four total matches at Anfield the past two seasons, but has three U-21 caps for Ireland.

Blackpool loaned well-regarded England U-21 defender and midfielder Stuart Hunt from First Division Charlton on Wednesday, January 28. Hunt, 21, has four caps with the England U-21 team and has been a regular for Charlton the past couple seasons. He has a 6.79 rating in 24 appearances for the Addicks this season. The loan will last through the end of the season.

This must be the time of year when big teams trade youth players. Serie A squad Brescia raided Sheffield Wedsnesday for 19-year-old midfielder Steve Richards. Despite his age, Richards has played a regular part time role for Sheffield Wednesday the past couple of seasons. He has a 6.74 rating in 19 appearances this year. He will transfer to Brescia in a Bosman move on May 22.

It goes to show what kind of backline talent Arsenal has handy when they can afford to just loan out Ivorian international Kolo Abib Touré, and to another Premiership squad to boot. On Thursday, January 29, Fulham loaned Touré, an accomplished international centreback, for the rest of the season. Touré is in his prime at 27, but barely played for Arsenal, with just four matches under his belt this year. From 2003-2006, Touré was a young fixture on Arsenal's backline, and always averaged well over a 7 rating. Frankly, I am shortlisting him as a possible player to pickup this offseason, although I wish he had elite defensive tachnical skills.

Last week, Milan made huge bids for FC Bayern's Alex and Arsenal's Gennaro Ivan Gattuso, with numbers for each player rumored to be in the mid-20's of millions. Well, the hammer fell twice on Thursday, January 29, and Milan revolutionized its midfield. Gattuso, regarded as a worldclass midfielder, moved over to Milan for $26 M. And then Milan stunned England by signing away Liverpool wing fixture Harry Kewell for $28.5 M after its efforts to bring in Alex were rebuffed. So the Premiership gained over $50 M from Milan for these two players. Gattuso, a 31-year-old Italian international, actually came to Arsenal from Milan two years ago after seeing just sporadic time with his original club. He has two goals, three assists and a 7.03 rating in 32 starts this year for Arsenal. The Kewell move seemed to come out of nowhere. The 30-year-old Australian superstar winger has been a notable presence at Anfield for most of the decade now, and remains one of the top talents in the world. Still, he was only a part time starter for Liverpool the past couple years. This season, he has four goals, three assists and a 7,27 rating in 22 appearances with Liverpool.

Blackpool brought over former Premiership midfielder Nicolás Medina from First Division Sunderland on Friday, January 30. They bought the 26-year-old Argentinian for $1.8 M. I don't have any ratings for this guy, but he played in 38 matches for Sunderland last year, when they were a Premiership squad. He has played 19 matches this season, with a goal and three assists.

Birmingham's young defender Chris Griffiths inked a Bosman transfer deal with Portuguese Superleague squad Benfica on Friday, January 29. This comes just a week after rumors surfaced that the 19-year-old Irish U-21 regular was dissatisfied with his current deal. Griffiths has started regularly for Birmingham this season, although it is the first time he has seen regular time at this level. He has a goal and a 6.78 average rating in 27 matches this season. He also has nine U-21 caps for Ireland, along with two international goals. He will move over to Benfica on May 29.

On Saturday, January 31, Leicester succeeded where Sheffield Wednesday failed. Almost a month after the latter club was rebuffed in its attempts to bring on Romanian international fullback Cosmin Contra, the Foxes signed away the 33-year-old veteran defender from the Primera Liga's Atlético Madrid for $575,000. Last month, when rumors surfaced of Sheffield Wednesday's interest, Contra said he didn't want to leave the Spanish club, where he has been playing since 2002. The deal apparently died away then. Leicester kept up interest, though, and officially bought the defender on the last day of the current transfer window. Contra, who still looks like an accomplished if unspectacular player, has seen his playing time dwindle with his skills the past few seasons, but he still maintained a regular role with Atlético Madrid. He averaged a 6.64 rating in 14 appearances so far this season.

Contra and Leicester came under fire much as Man Utd did over its signing of veteran fullback Vincent Candela earlier in the week. Contra told the Sunday Mirror pretty much the same thing Candela did to the media, saying the critics were wrong about him being a poor use of the Foxes' money, and that he would prove them wrong. Well, at least he has motivation. Contra told the club website the next day that he was looking forward to playing with top quality supporting players like Sheffield Wednesday has.

The crowning achievement of the transfer period happened on the final day of the window, when Man Utd successfully negotiated a $13 M deal for Dortmund's Icelandic international striker Eidur Gudjohnsen. Gudjohnsen pairs with our own Oskarsson as starting strikers on Iceland's national squad. Gudjohnsen, 30, should be a potent addition to a striker group for the Red Devils that already includes Klose, Anelka, and Sculli. Gudjohnsen has played well for Dortmund (7.18 rating this season) and has gotten 10 or more goals in three of the last our full seasons, but he still wasn't seeing all too much regular starting time with the German power. This past season he has six goals and six assists in 28 appearances, only four of which were starts.

Man Utd fans lauded the move on the part of Hiele, and welcomed Gudjohnesen with open arms on Saturday, although he wasn't yet prepared enough to play against us the next day (too bad, too, they could have used him, it seems). On Sunday, after their loss to us, Gudjohnsen told the Chester Evening Leader that he aims to bring glory to Old Trafford. It has been suggested in the media as a payday move for the striker, whom has played well enough to gain notice, but hasn't really established himself as a superstar. Gudjohnsen said that isn't the case, although he is being paid well enough ($3.1 M) to "get by". It must be nice to offer that much money in an annual salary to a player.

League News

Well, that's the transfer window, but as usual plenty of other things happened in the Premiership this week, including the hiring of two new managers.

The big one came in on Friday, January 30. Arsneal, rebuffed in their effort to lure me to Ashburton Grove, finally moved on and hired 45-year-old Welshman Mark Bowen to one of the world's most prestigious club management positions. Bowen, a former Wlesh international regular as a player, is more than a bit of a shock, with little experience or regard as a manager as of yet. He has just one other stint as a manager, as he was hired by former Premiership squad Middlesbrough (me olde haunts) last March to stave off relegation. He was unable to do so, and when his squad started off badly at the First Division level this past season, he got his walking papers last October, just seven months after being hired. With that hefty resumé he gets signed by...Arsenal. Sheesh. Bowen has a 9-2-14 record as a manager, with 38 goals scored against 44 conceded. Say what you will about his experience and track record, but Bowen does seem to better than the average slob in the manager ratings. Arsenal was without a manager since Bart van Marwijk left in December to take over Blackburn.

The other manager move was in Leicester. The Foxes hired John McDermott on Wednesday, January 29. McDermott, a youthful 41-year-old Englishman, went to work right away for Leicester, bringing in Lauth from HSV and Contra from Atlético Madrid. He also tried to get Thomas Heaton from us. Kudos for the effort anyway.

Despite his young age, McDermott does have a significant track record. He worked under Man Utd's former legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson as his assistant manager at Old Trafford from 2003-2006. That position is actually more prestigious than all but just about the top managing jobs in Europe, to be honest.

McDermott was hired away by Scottish power Celtic in August, 2006, replacing Erland Johnson, who went for the riches to be found managing Chelsea. McDermott led Celtic to league titles in the Scottish Premier Division both years as the manager, and also won the Scottish Cup two years ago. He finished runner up in both the Scottish Cup and the Scottish League Cup last year, and won through to the quarterfinals of the Champions League last year, and has reached the knockout stage of the CL this year as well. The guy has a very strong 88-25-32 record, with 285 goals scored and 141 conceded. Basically, McDermott should have been Arsenal's hire, while Bowen might have been considered for Leicester. Looks liek the Foxes really lucked out.

Here is the Premiership League Team of the Week.

SC Yakubu (Tamworth)-- 3 G, MoM, 10 rat vs MUT
SC Brett Ormerod (Blackpool)-- 2 G, MoM, 10 rat vs NOT
MF Denny Landzaat (Tamworth)-- 8 rat vs CHE
MF Michael Stewart (Tamworth)-- 1 A, 8 rat vs MUT
MF Orri Freyr Oskarsson (Tamworth)-- 2 G, 10 rat vs MUT
MF Lionel Morgan (Tamworth)-- 1 A, 9 rat vs MUT
DF Mike Duff (Tamworth)-- 8 rat vs MUT
DF Gaël Clichy (Tamworth)-- 9 rat vs MUT
DF Daniele Bonera (Arsenal)-- 9 rat vs MAN
DF Lee Bell (Bristol City)-- 9 rat vs LEI
GK Ian Walker (Colchester)-- 6 sav, MoM, 10 rat vs SOU

My team really kicked ass on the Premierhsip Team of the Week listings. Cool.

CR

[daedalus]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

It goes to show what kind of backline talent Arsenal has handy when they can afford to just loan out Ivorian international Kolo Abib Touré, and to another Premiership squad to boot. On Thursday, January 29, Fulham loaned Touré, an accomplished international centreback, for the rest of the season. Touré is in his prime at 27, but barely played for Arsenal, with just four matches under his belt this year. From 2003-2006, Touré was a young fixture on Arsenal's backline, and always averaged well over a 7 rating. Frankly, I am shortlisting him as a possible player to pickup this offseason, although I wish he had elite defensive tachnical skills.

KOLO!

I'm still hoping Arsenal can sign his brother, Ya Ya. If only because, well, it'd be damned cool to have a "Ya Ya" on the squad.

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

Blackpool brought over former Premiership midfielder Nicolás Medina from First Division Sunderland on Friday, January 30. They bought the 26-year-old Argentinian for $1.8 M. I don't have any ratings for this guy, but he played in 38 matches for Sunderland last year, when they were a Premiership squad. He has played 19 matches this season, with a goal and three assists.

Interesting. Medina was a high rating-low performance guy for me in 01/02. Thankfully, because of his high "potential", I was able to sell him off to another team.

[Chief Rum]

Just for shits & giggles, I went and looked up Yaya.

Apparently in real life he is with Beveren. In the game, he left Beveren (of the Belgian First Division) for Shakhtar. He never really played regularly for them, although he did play regularly with their reserve squad (in the High League, some squads' reserve teams, including Shakhtar's, play in the next lower league division, rather than in a reserve-only league).

At the beginning of this past season, he left on a free for Turkish Premier Division squad Dardanelspor, and is playing well. Still, his ratings, while solid and enough to make him a regular on Ivory Coast's national team along with his brother, still pale compared to Kolo.

I stil don't have ratings on Medina, but he doesn't look to be all that valuable. But, like you say, maybe it's a performance thing and not a ratings thing. Some guys are like that.

CR

[daedalus]

I'm still hopeful that we can sign Yaya. He's gotten very good reviews from all I've read. Kolo claims that Yaya is the better of the brothers. Plus, he's supposedly a midfielder in the mold of Paddy and if Paddy doesn't want to make up his mind and commit, I'd rather just say thanks for the memory and have a good day.

But then again . . . as I see it, Freddie and Edu would be gone, too. If you don't commit all the way - a la Titi - we'll get you a ticket on the Greyhound and wish you a nice day. I'll take the money and get somebody who WANTS to be here.

[Chief Rum]

Well, the Gunners certainly have the cash to bring quality replacements for any of those players. That must be nice to be able to do that.

CR

[daedalus]

Hee hee. We're actually fairly low on money compared to other teams in similar competitive range. Most of our money are tied up with keeping the club afloat while building a new park and we don't have the international name to bring in money like Manchester United or Real Madrid.

They money those guys would fetch, though, could be used for some interesting replacements.

[Chief Rum]

Heh...I'm sure it would.

CR

[Chief Rum]

Tuesday, February 3 To Monday, February 9

This week, we have both cup and league play.

We host Liverpool on Wednesday, February 4, to complete the two-leg semifinal of the English League Cup. Then on Saturday, February 7, we become one of new Leicester manager John McDermott's first opponents with the Foxes. We will welcome them to the Lamb Ground in a Premier Division match.

International Call Ups

For some reason, many European national teams schedule freindlies around now, to prepare for the busy national team season to come in June and July.

On Tuesday, February 3, our second eleven right back Kevin Gorman was called up to Irish U-21 squad, for whom he has already appeared five times in his 20-year-old life. The Irish U-21's will play Spain's kids on February 10.

It's not my custom to stop any player from representing his country in any capacity, so, of course, I allow him to go with no instructions as to his use.

This early call up was quickly followed by a flood of calls to service to some of my notable international players on Wednesday, February 4.

No less than 12 players were requested to be on hand for matches on behalf of their countries. Most of the old internationals were picked, as expected. Louis Saha was called on by France, and Holland called for Denny Landzaat. Northern Ireland notified Mike Duff, and fellow Irishman Richie Partridge received notice from the Republic. Scotland brought back Michael Stewart, and Iceland called for the usual duo in Hermann Hreidarsson and Orri Freyr Oskarsson.

South American nations were also embroiled in friendly fever, so David Marcelo Cortez Pizarro was called up by Chil, and Colombia once again sent out for Johnnier Montaño and Giovanny Hernández.

The most notable absences among the old regulars were left off for obvious reasons. African nations are thick into both the African Cup of Nations and World Cup qualifying, so they don't feel the need to utilize this break for a friendly to keep their teams sharp. So Yakubu gets a break.

Thanks to his broken leg, Andrei Perpelyotkin was also not called up by the Ukraine.

Tamworth also had some new players get the call. Welshman Andy Williams was tabbed by his homeland, now that he is healthy again from eight months of rehabiliting a major knee injury. And Emmanuel Olisadebe will be playing for Poland.

One new player who would certainly be in a national lineup were he not wrapping up a two-month rehab froma groin muscle tear is Trond-Erik Bertelsen. The Norwegian fullback is close to returning to action, but, not surprisingly, the national team coach didn't feel the need to use Bertelsen in a pointless friendly that could cause an aggravation of his injury.

Tamworth Registers Late Season Roster For Champions League

With the knockout phase of the Champions League due to get going near the end of the month, we have been asked to submit our 28-man roster for the second phase of the Champions League.

Essentially, we are allowed to replace three players on our original roster submitted in August. Our choices to add are have two easy decisions, with the acquisition of Bertelsen and the return to health of Williams. I'll get to the third in a second.

The tricky part was who to leave off, as I could think of few players who embarrassed themselves in our run to the group stage title in Group C. One was easy, as I dropped the hurt Pereplyotkin. It would have been nice to replace him with a striker, but the obvious choice, Olisadebe, was ineligible to play for our team, because he had been selected for Hertha BSC's international roster. The Bundesliga power only played in the UEFA, but apparently that was enough. Since Adam Wilde and Mark Hicks were both already on the roster here, though, I didn't see a reason to sweat with Oskarsson, Saha and Yakubu as my main trio up front. So I dropped Pereplyotkin for Williams.

In the end, I decided to drop some versatility to get the better talent on the roster for the other two spots. I dropped Darren Birchall to make room for Bertelsen, and then Jarl Ander Storbæk for Jon Otsemobor.

Otsemobor was the one I really struggled with. I like what Storbæk brings to us, with his ability to play fullback, midfielder, and winger, but I wanted another legit centreback on the team for these matches, and I felt Otsemobor provided that the best.

Liverpool, Second Leg of English League Cup Semifinal

Having won the first leg at Anfield, 3-0, I felt pretty confident coming into this one. I had beaten Liverpool two times in the last month, and was playing at home now (neither of the previous matches were at the Lamb Ground).

Of course, the Reds had also lost players to rampant red cards in both matches, so it wasn't like I faced a full squad for all 90 minutes. Still, with a three-goal edge in an aggregate two-leg set, I felt I had enough going for me to just play my game without worrying too much.

It is a second eleven match, but some players weren't quite up to 100% in conditioning, so I had to make a couple changes. Gaël Clichy was dropped to a substitute role, and I started Storbæk in his place. My left wing position was still in flux with the return of Williams, so I started Birchall on the left wing today. I was still feeling the ramifications of the Pereplyotkin injury as well, so Olisadebe was in the lineup trying to learn to play with his new team, and Adam Wilde was in for Saha.

Liverpool went with the usual lineup, although they didn't have to deal with suspensions this time, and Harry Kewell is in Italy now. The same front threesome in El-Hadji Diouf, Anthony Le Tallec and Michael Owen were in place. Rafael van der Vaart replaces Kewell at one of the three midfield spots, joining old starters Mark Bresciano and Steve Gerrard. The backline is a mix of the starters we saw in the first two matches, with long time Liverpool stars Sami Hyyplä and John Arne Riise, playing with Djimi Traoré--who got sent off in the first Tamworth match--and Jamie Carragher. As usual, Polish national goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek is in net.

I tend to give opponents the early edge, and that's not hard to do against a quality team like Liverpool. In the 3rd minute, Riise sent a pass into the right end of the area to Van der Vaart. Van de Vaart went to the left goal line and then crossed a poss toward the far end of the six-yard box. Michael Owen was alone on the corner and blasted a volley at the goal. Thomas Heaton was ready for it, but he let it out to his left, down the line. No one was in position to get to the ball before Owen, who blasted it into the far back corner of the net behind the frozen Heaton.

We then did something we usually don't do: wel let them score again. In some ways, it was a very siimilar score. Owen moved under a long clear out pass from their end by Diouf and went on a run into the right end of the area. As he approached the left goal line, he sent a crossing pass across the goal mouth that was even closer to the line than the one he scored on earlier. Le Tallec slipped free of the marking McEveley just long enough to put a diving header on the pass. The ball went into the net for the easy score, and all of a sudden I had to consider that Liverpool might actually catch me. It was 3-2 on aggregate now, with us just holding onto the lead.

The tension of that situation was compunded throughout the rest of the first half, where we largely controlled the ball and got shots off, but we kept missing wide or over, never seriously threatening to score.

Finally, in the 43rd minute, Pizarro went on a run into the box, splitting the defense, and took a long pass from Birchall. He dodged to his left to try and find an angle around the charging Dudek, but wasn't entirely successful. He blasted a hard shot at the goal, but Dudek got a piece of it. The ball slipped behind him and rolled slowly to goal. No one for the defense could get to it, though, and it rolled across the line for the score. It was 2-1 on the match for Liverpool, but more importantly, it was 4-2 for us on aggregate, giving us a little more breathing room.

The second half was the Denny Landzaat show. Our second eleven defensive midfielder and Dutch international seemed to create our entire offense by himself, all with some brilliant passing. In the 48th minute, he sent a pass into the area for Olisadebe that Dudek just managed to deflect across the right goal line. In the 53rd minute, Landzaat put another pass right on the money for Birchall, who went into the box a step ahead a trio of defenders. He dodged clear of Dudek but mystifyingly missed the open net, shooting harmlessly into the side netting. The final breakthrough in the second half took Landzaat's best pass. The midfielder got the ball on the wrong side of the centreline in the 60th minute and sent a bullet pass sailing over half of the pitch, just over the heads of several Liverpool players, and directly onto the foot of Adam Wilde, in the left end of the penalty area. Wilde quickly charged in on goal and unleashed a hard shot that sailed in front of Dudek to the other side of the goal. It caught the right post and banged back into the net for the match-tying score.

Wilde figured in the next score as well, in the 68th minute. He took a pass from Olisadebe as he entered the penalty area. Dudek rushed out at home, and Wilde tried to move to the right to avoid the goalkeeper. This allowed Igor Biscan to step up and dislodge the ball from Wilde. Unfortunately for Liverpool, the unexpected gift surprised Dudek and he couldn't hold onto it. It skirted to his right, allowing Birchall to jump onto it and blast it into the left end of the net for the 3-2 lead.

The Reds got the score back even quickly, with a 70th minute header by Emile Heskey that slipped over Heaton and off of the left post for the score. But by then it was clear Liverpool couldn't overcome the Lambs' three-goal advantage in aggregate.

They didn't go quietly. In the 75th minute, Le Tallec had a good look at a goal, but miskicked the ball and watched it roll slightly wide of the left post. And in the 85th minute, Tamworth defender Tieme Klompe misjudged a Riise corner and sent it right back at his own goal. Fortunately for the Lambs, Heaton was right on spot and deflected it away. There were no more scores in this one. Tamworth 3, Liverpool 3

We won the semifinal round over Liverpool, 6-3. We have earned ourselves a return to the English League Cup final, a competition we lost last season to Sunderland.

We were given $800,000 for our win and entered into the final draw. Our opponent? Not as easy as Sunderland this time (note the irony, BTW, of calling Sunderland "easy"): Man Utd. The Red Devils beat Birmingham, 1-0, in both matches to take a tight 2-0 aggregate win to advance to the final.

We will meet them at Wembley Stadium on March 1.

The addition to our fixture also forced the rearrangement of a match with Nottingham Forest. It was pushed back from that weekend to March 4.

International Call Up Aftermath

Thanks to the wealth of players being taken from both us and Blackburn for international friendlies next week, our scheduled match for February 11 has been moved back to February 18.

Is this like a badge of honor thing for the club, having to reschedule a match because our team is depleted by international action?

Caen Denies Our Enquiry For Benvegnu

We found out on Saturday, February 7, that La Ligue 2 squad Caen has turned down an enquiry we made about the availability of 24-year-old French goalkeeper Benoît Benvegnu.

Benvegnu is a player I have had my eye on for a couple years now, and he seemed like the next feasible option for a goalkeeper upgrade after the failure to bring in Ceylan Fatih.

Basically, he has all the qualities I like in a goalkeeper, with 19 Aerial Ability, 16 Reflexes, 20 One-on-Ones, 14 Handling, 19 Communication, and 18 Agility. He's an across the board quality keeper. The problem is that he is toiling with this low end French team that doesn't want to move him, and he doesn't seem ambitious enough to force a move. He's only valued at $300,000, but this club has turned down $2 M for him.

Well, there is some bad stuff. 10 Command of Area is not impressive, although it looks good next to a 4 in Determination and 1 in Work Rate. That's right, just 1! Still, the results speak for themselves, as follows.

Last year, in the French National Benvegnu allowed 40 goals in 38 matches, and this year in La Ligue 2, he has conceded 34 goals in 34 matches. He has a 7-plus rating the last two seasons, and 13 clean sheets each season as well. I think he's a hidden star, and one of these days I'm going to convince those bastards to send him my way.

Leicester City

We return to Premiership action now with a home match against Leicester, which is desperately trying to turn around a season by hiring a new manager after it has flirted with relegation. This squad has been up here in the Premiership now, against all odds originally, in five of the past six seasons, though, so they can't be discounted. The fact they also have young star striker James Graham just makes them all the more dangerous.

Graham has eight goals in an injury-limited 16 matches this season, and he is paired up in this match with late January free transfer signee, formoer Aston Villa striker Juan Pablo Angel of Colombia. The veteran striker still has a lot of ability, so I was a little surprised to see that he had yet to sign with a club for six months after Aston Villa allowed his contract to run out last season. Tommy Wright, replaced as the starter by Angel, is himself a significant talent on the bench, with 23 goals the past two seasons with the Foxes.

The midfield is still led by Muzzy Izzet, who has eight assists in 29 matches. Neither it nor the backline is particularly well-skilled, though, which is Leicester's primary problem (only Colchester has given up more goals). They did sign veteran fullback Cosmin Contra in the last transfer window to help here. In the net is Shaun Allaway, a solid looking goalkeeper who probably deserves to be playing behind a better defense.

For us, this is a first eleven match. And for once, it is the first eleven we had envisioned from the very beginning, right down to Oskarsson starting (note that he wouldn't be right now, were it not for the Pereplyotkin injury). It feels odd to be playing Leicester, considering we have been playing an awful lot of Liverpools, Chelseas, and Man Utds recently. I was beginning to wonder if there were any bad teams in the Premiership.

I have to hand it to Leicester. Despite the fact I had far more shots on goal than they did in the early going, they largely kept me stoppered up. Allaway parried away a long, low shot from Jim Corbett in the 12th minute. The Foxes turned away another Corbett edge-of-area shot, two straight corners and Allaway clutched on a Yakubu straight shot in a quick series in the 19th minute. Allaway also made point blank saves on shots by Oskarsson and Williams in the first half. Despite outshooting them 8-1 on goal at halftime, the score was stil 0-0.

That would change quickly in the second half and on an oddly simple play in the 47th minute. Corbett had a free kick from along the right touchline and sent in a long pass toward the near post and Oskarsson in the right end of the area. Oskarsson was surprisingly undefended, so he turned and blasted a shot into the net that just squeezed between the right post and Allaway.

We had gotten our goal finally, and our lead as well. But Leicester went back to the workmanlike way of defending us, and Allaway was coming through when his defense wasn't. We got to the final five minutes of the match, and I was still sweating with just a one-goal lead.

In the 89th minute, Duff sent a pass forward into the right end of the area, which Oskarsson reached first. The Icelandic striker then sent a sharp cross into the center box, setting up a hard shot by Yakubu. Allaway sent it right back out, but he was unable to get in between Montaño's follow-up, and we finally got the insurance I was looking for.

I figured that was it, but the goal, which came hard-earned seemed to open up the floodgates. A minute later, Montaño scored again on a run into the box that Allaway definitely should have stopped, and then well into injury time, Oskarsson reproduced his cross connection with Yakubu, only this time Yakubu put it where Allaway couldn't reach it. So a match that was actually mucxh closer than it seemed ended up looking like a blowout. Tamworth 4, Leicester 0

Bertelsen Returns To Full Training

At last!

Our big buy this past transfer season, worldclass fullback Trond Erik Bertelsen is finally in full training and just about ready to return to the pitch.

He has some conditioning to do to get backinto playing shape, and he likely will be lagging behind a bit at first, as he gets in match shape and learns the tactic.

Still, it's good to finally be able to get him onto the field for us. His return to health will bump Hreidarsson back to the second eleven and Clichy to the backup group.

League News

As a Premiership squad, we, like our teammates, are bound by the transfer window periods and cannot bring new players aboard at this stage. But Premiership squads are free to move players out, and lower division squads can do the buying.

Reports surfaced on Friday, February 6, that First Division Wigan was looking at bringing aboard veteran goalkeeper Arni Gautur Arason from Man City. The 33-year-old goalkeeper is apparently currently unsettled with City.

Arason was the primary goalkeeper for some good Rosenborg squad years ago, but he hasn't seen the pitch yet for Man City in six seasons, so I can understand his frustration. The only action he has seen in this time, outside of reserve teams, was on a loan with Sheffield Wednesday two years ago, in which he appeared in four matches (and did poorly).

Intriguingly enough, Arason is Iceland's national goalkeeper and a national teammate of Oskarsson and Hreidarsson.

Wigan might have a chance at him, too. Man City boss Par Zetterberg has dropped his asking price to just $180,000, and said on Monday, February 9, that he would listen to offers for Arason.

Blackpool got some bad news Saturday, February 7, when their longtime playmaking midfielder Omar Daley broke his leg in a 2-1 loss to Birmingham. Daley will miss five seasons, and is certainly not returning until next season at this late stage of the year.

In his first Premiership action of his career this season, Daley had three goals and a 7 average rating in 23 appearances. Daley has been a fixture of Blackpool's midfield and offense since joining them five years and two divisional promotions ago.

Here is the Premiership League Team of the Week.

SC Hélder Postiga (Tottenham)-- 2 G, 1 A, MoM, 10 rat vs BLK
SC Johnnier Montaño (Tamworth)-- 2 G, MoM, 10 rat vs LEI
MF Dickson Agyeman (Man City)-- 1 G, 8 rat vs FUL
MF Thomas Gravesen (Everton)-- 1 A, 8 rat vs SFW
MF Orri Freyr Oskarsson (Tamworth)-- 1 G, 2 A, 9 rat vs LEI
MF Fredy William Thompson (Aston Villa)-- 1 A, 9 rat vs MUT
DF Mbulelo Mabizela (Tottenham)-- 8 rat vs BLK
DF Jérôme Cartier (Aston Villa)-- 8 rat vs MUT
DF Anthony Gardner (Tottenham)-- 8 rat vs BLK
DF Titus Bramble (Newcastle)-- MoM, 9 rat vs SOU
GK Allan McGregor (Sheff Wed)-- 7 sav, 1 clean, MoM, 9 rat vs CHE

CR

[Chief Rum]

Tuesday, February 10 To Monday, February 16

After several weeks with two matches in every week, we finally get a small break, courtesy of the international friendlies scheduled for this week. Of course, it took a postponement of a match to even get this week down to one match.

That one match will happen on Saturday, when we go to Elland Road to take on former Premiership squad Leeds in the fifth round of the FA Cup.

International Friendlies & Tamworth Players

It's a light week for news, so here' s a little bit about our international Lambs' work with their homelands in fixtures on February 11.

Emmanuel Olisadebe (Poland): Started up front and had an assist to go along with an 8 rating in Poland's 4-3 victory over Egypt.

David Marcelo Cortez Pizarro (Chile): Started in middle and posted a 7 rating in a 2-2 tie with Finland.

Louis Saha (France): Did not start, but came on as a sub in the 74th minute, posting a 7 rating. France beat Japan, 4-0.

Denny Landzaat (Holland): Did not start, but came on as a sub in the 74th minute. Only put up a 6 rating in Holland's unimpressive 1-0 victory over Leichtenstien.

Mike Duff (Northern Ireland): Started at fullback, and contributed an assist and an 8 rating in a 3-0 win over Wales.

Andy Williams (Wales): Williams did not start in his first international action since last year, but he got onto the pitch in the 48th minute. He posted a 7 rating as his squad, as mentioned, fell badly to Northern Ireland.

Richie Partridge (Ireland): Partridge started on the wing for Ireland, as he generally does. He put up a 7 rating in a 0-0 draw with Spain.

Johnnier Montaño (Colombia): Started up front and scored Colombia's lone goal in a 2-1 loss to Scotland. He also posted a 7 rating.

Giovanny Hernáandez (Colombia): Also started for Colombia, although he was on the wing. He had a disappointing 6 rating in the loss to Scotland.

Michael Stewart (Scotland): Stewart did not start and only saw action after being subbed in late in the match in the 80th minute. He put up a 6 rating in his short stint in Scotland's win over Colombia.

Orri Freyr Oskarsson (Iceland): Atypical of his job with the Lambs, Oskarsson actually started at a defensive wing position for Iceland. He put up a 7 rating in their 2-0 win over Cyprus.

Herman Hreidarsson (Iceland): Hreidarsson also started for Iceland, as the left side of the national team's three-man backline. He also put up a 7 rating in the win over Cyprus.

Fullback Kevin Gorman also played internationally, or at least was called up to Ireland's U-21 squad. Unfortunately, the match does not track anything beyond the final results in U-21 competitions, so I don't know how he did (other than that he came back to me as healthy as he left).

International Callup

Not so fast, Yakubu.

While much of the international football community engaged in friendlies this week, African nations were enjoying a break from a heavy fixture that included both qualifying for the African Cup of Nations and for China 2010.

Instead, the continent of Africa will hold another round of World Cup qualifying next week, on February 21.

Yakubu was called up again by Nigeria to play Guinea-Bissau.

Leeds United, Fifth Round of FA Cup

The FA Cup continues to throw one First Division squad after another at us. On Saturday, February 14, we meet 7th-placed Leeds United, a former Premiership semi-heavyweight that has been struggling to get back to the big league for four seasons now.

As I mentioned before with the draw, Leeds still does have a handful of notable players from its old days, like goalkeeper Paul Robinson, winger James Milner and midfielder Eirik Bakke. They also have our own Mark Hooper on loan, as well as Chelsea's young right winger Mark Smith. Neither Hooper nor Smith are eligible for this match, though, although I can't recall if Hooper's absence is related to a ban against cup competition or against playing us (or both, perhaps).

Ben May and Robbie Shields are starting up front for the Whites, with May a reasonably accomplished former Milwall striker in the First Division, while Shields is a leftover talent from the Premiership days that hasn't ever really put together a consistent season as of yet (although he is just 24). Milner rounds out the front three in Leeds' 4-3-3 tactic. Bakke is at the center of the midfield. On the backline, past Tamworth transfer target--when we were in the Second Division--Frazer Richardson is still around and a solid enough player. Robinson has made appearances for the English national squad, so he's no slouch.

Still, this is one we should win going away, even on the road. We run out our second eleven for this one, with some changes. Some of our guys were still tired from their international action, so we had to insert replacements where we could. Lionel Morgan got his first ever call in the middle of the tactic as a replacement for Pizarro. Booth started on the right side for Partridge. And Adam Wilde started in place of Olisadebe. All three of the normal starters were installed as subs, though, so as to possibly see some action in the match (and hopefully forestall complaining, Partridge I am looking in your general direction...).

I think the thing that surprised me about this match was how defensive it turned out to be. That wasn't how it looked early on, though, as we piled on two quick scores.

In the 18th minute, Gorman sent a throw-in pass toward the right goal line. Booth got to it first and immediately sent a back-curling cross that was aimed at the far end of the six-yard box. Wilde moved above Richardson and Joel Kitamirike to get his head on the ball. He blasted it goalward and the high shot somehow evaded Robinson, who was positioned well to stop it. It sailed into the net for the first score.

Not three minutes later, we would strike again. This time Landzaat took a header pass from James McEveley in the middle of the offensive pitch. Morgan timed a break down the middle of the area perfectly, and Landzaat found him as he ran across the edge of the area. Morgan had enough space to let off a shot before a trio of defenders closed. His shot sailed over Robinson's right shoulder and into the net for the 2-0 lead. It was Morgan's first ever goal for us.

I wish I could say this match got plenty more exciting after that, but it didn't. Leeds clamped down and kept us out of the net, and even from shooting a lot (our seven shots total--four on goal--is probably our lowest match total all season), but they couldn't come anywhere near breaking our defense, taking two shots and only one on goal. The ball spent much of the match running time bogged down in the middle of a muddy pitch.

It doesn't have to be pretty to count as a win, though. Tamworth 2, Leeds United 0

In the other FA Cup action on Saturday, the few remaining Premiership squads largely escaped harm. Blackburn was the only casualty as of yet, losing 2-0 to First Division relegation candidate Scunthorpe.

There is the possibility of another, with Newcastle failing to dispatch First Division Norwich at St. James Park. They drew them 3-3, and will have to play them again in a replay at Norwich's home park.

In the other matches involving EPL squads, Leicester "buried" Bury, 6-2 (haha ). Chelsea shut out Wycombe. These should have been easy, considering both squads were Second Division clubs. And Arsenal edged out First Division middle-of-the-table Rushden, 3-2.

Premiership squads make up half of the remaining eight teams, with Tamworth, Arsenal, Chelsea and Leicester still in the mix. Newcastle could be the fifth. First Division squads Scunthorpe and Coventry take up two spots, and the last spot is also guaranteed to a First Division club, although we won't know which club until Bradford City and Charlton play out a replay after their 0-0 draw on Saturday.

We received $240,000 for our win in the fifth round of the FA Cup and move on to the sixth round, which is the quarterfinal stage. The draw for the sixth round will be held on Tuesday, February 17.

League News

The agent for Man City's veteran reserve goalkeeper, Icelandic national team goalkeeper Arni Gautur Arason, has dismissed the interest of First Division Wigan Athletic as "utter rubbish" days after it was reported the club wanted to rbing Arason aboard.

On Tuesday, February 10, the agent said that Arason is happy at the City of Manchester Stadium, and has no intention of leaving the club. That surprises me, considering the guy's career is being wasted away on City's reserve squad.

Last month, Bundesliga squad Braunschweig arranged for the Bosman transfer of Birmingham's England U-21 midfielder Jon Simpson.

That transfer officially went through on Thursday, February 12. The well-regarded 19-year-old midfielder was a regular with the Blues last season (32 appearances and 24 starts), but was only seeing limited time this year (just three uneventful appearances).

Simpson has two caps with England's U-21 team. His four goals and 7.06 rating with Birmingham last season gives him the look of a star on the rise, so it's a little surprising that Birmingham would elect to let him go.

Young rising star Robert Nygård was signed away from Man Utd by Mallorca on Saturday, February 14. Nygård is just 19, but he already has four caps with Norway.

Interestingly enough, Mallorca is the former employer of our own Trond Erik Bertelsen--a Norwegian national teammate of the young Nygård, who will, as a left winger, doubtless somewhat replace Bertelsen in the Primera Liga's lineup (Bertelsen started at wing for them, although he is an attacking fullback with us).

The Nygård move was, again, the completion of a Bosman transfer. Nygård only saw sporadic time with the Red Devils, although he did well when he did (17 appearances in last two seasons, with two goals and a 7.35 average rating).

On Sunday, February 15, Spurs midfielder Tobias Linderoth told The Observer that he was concerned at his recent omission from the first team.

Linderoth, 29, has played somewhat regularly this season and last, although it doesn't appear he was ever more than a part time starter or a decently well-used backup. He started 13 matches, and played in 15, for Tottenham last season after coming over from Serie A's Perugia in a big $6.25 M transfer deal in the middle of the season. This year, he has started just twice, but also has 15 appearances as a sub.

The Swedish international's playing time has likely been hrut by a lack of production (3 assists and a sub-7 rating in 32 total appearances for the Spurs over the last couple seasons).

Linderoth saw regular time four years ago with mighty Newcastle after cutting his rope as a growing talent with Everton, so he is very familiar with play in the Premiership.

In another surprising move in a week of intriguing decisions by Premiership squads, Bristol City allowed young hopeful Steve Robinson walk. The 20-year-old defensive midfielder, who started for Bristol City on its way to promotion to the Premiership last season, reached the end of his contract.

While Robinson doesn't have the U-21 caps or the obvious shine of some other young talents, he seems like someone a new Premiership squad would want to keep around, or at least certainly not allow to leave on a free transfer.

Robinson had a 6.60 average rating this season in 25 appearances, including 17 starts. He has started for Bristol City since he was 17, and has 140 appearances, mostly starts, with the club over the last three-plus seasons.

He is now free to sign with anyone.

Since there were no league matches this week, there is no Premiership League Team of the Week.

CR

[Chief Rum]

Tuesday, February 17 To Monday, February 23

We have two Premiership matches this week, and they are both on the road, so this could be a tougher week to get through. Still, neither Blackburn nor Southampton are in the top five of the league, so it's not as bad as it could have been.

On Wednesday, February 18, we play the Rovers, who are struggling to avoid relegation. Apparently the hiring of former Arsenal boss Bert van Marwijk has yet to really pay out some dividends. This is the match that was postponed from last week because of players from both clubs playing in international matches.

On Saturday, February 21, we meet Southampton, whom at 9th in the league, should be a better test for us than Blackburn.

FA Cup Sixth Round Drawn

We start off this week by finding out who we will meet in the quarterfinals of the FA Cup. Thus far, we have played only First Division squads, beating Ipswich, Burnley and Leeds in three straight matches.

This draw followed to that form, as we drew mid-table First Division squad Crystal Palace. The London-based squad has been in the First Division since the beginning of this dynasty.

More significantly, drawing them pits us in a rematch with the squad we beat to take our first FA Cup almost two years ago--when we were both First Division clubs.

Crystal Palace's top player is Finnish international Aki Riihilahti, a 32-year-old midfielder whom has been a fixture in the center of the club's offense since 2000. As popular and respected as he is, though, the guy Tamworth will probably have to gameplan against is 28-year-old striker Peter Weatherson. The striker has dominated in the First Division the past three seasons and currently has 28 goals and 13 assists in 41 matches. He has 89 goals and 35 assists in the last three seasons and has been on my shortlist for a while.

A third player to watch is Riihilahti's fellow countryman Jari Niemi, whom has provided the creative spark for Crystal Palace in recent years. The 32-year-old forward has four straight double-digit assist seasons, including 13 this year. Scoring isn't much of a problem for these guys. It's defense where they apparently fail (54 goals allowed is in bottom half of First Division).

We will host Crystal Palace at the Lamb Ground on March 7.

The fixture addition led to another postponement of a league match. Our road match against Arsenal was pushed back to March 25 to make room.

In other FA Cup sixth round matches, First Division relegation candidate Scunthorpe will try to salvage a dismal season by advancing further against the Premiership's Leicester, whom they will host. If Newcastle beats First Division Norwich in a March 1 replay, they will travel to Stamford Bridge to take on Chelsea in the high profile match of the round. A replay on February 25 will also determine Arsenal's opponent, as former Premiership squads Bradford City and Charlton Athletic duke it out.

Hooper Returns From Loan

Just days after watching his employer defeat his loaner in the FA Cup, our young striker Mark Hooper returned to us from Leeds on Wednesday.

Hooper is a guy I have high hopes for, but he wasn't going to see time with us, at least not on the first team. So I shipped him out on a three-month loan to Leeds.

While with Leeds, Hooper put up four goals and three assists in 20 matches. Just 18, he will return to our U-19 squad for the rest of the season.

Blackburn

As I noted, Blackburn has struggled this year. They are striving to stay away from relegation. And actually, in that respect, new manager van Marwijk is doing pretty good. They were 19th when he took over in early December. Now they are 17th and officially out of relegation (albeit not by much). They aren't out of danger, though, and they are among the worst teams in the league, both on offense and defense.

Still, they have been in the Premiership a long time, and this isn't an easy squad to play at Ewood Park. The notable name American readers will know about, of course, is American international goalkeeper Brad Freidel. He's 37, now, though, and is splitting time with 20-year-old English U-21 player Neil Miles. And Miles is outperforming him.

What skills the Rovers put on the field is largely due to five top notch players. Up front, Danish forward Peter Lovenkrands and longtime Rover Matt Jansen lead the offense. Both players have double-digit score totals, and Lovenkrands is also one of the club's top playmakers (10 assists). The middle is led by Irish star midfielder Steven Reid and Australian right winger Brett Emerton. Emerton is the lead creative spark in the midfield with 7 goals and 4 assists, and has been a big part of Blackburn for several years now. The backline leader is strong fullback Lucas Niell, another Aussie. He plays strong both forward (three goals, three assists) and back (7.23 average rating).

This is a first eleven match, but it is a special one. Prior to the match, we determine that Trond Erik Bertelsen is finally fit enough to play. We have waited a long time to get this talented fullback into the mix. He will start at left back, officially bumping Hermann Hreidarsson to the second eleven, and Gaël Clichy to the backup team.

Soem players seem to be slow to recover from recent play right now, and one of them is Jim Corbett. He isn't ready to go, so we replace him with Darren Birchall for this one. Yakubu will be taking off after the match for his call up to Nigeria, but he is on the pitch for this one.

The table standings seemed very accurate in the early going. We produced an early score off the bat, and it didn't take long to build a significant lead.

Just seconds after the opening kickoff, fullback Mike Duff sent a pass to Orri Freyr Oskarsson on the right side of the offensive pitch. Oskarsson beat Swedish centreback Nils-Eric Johansson in the air and moved the ball onto Johnnier Montaño, whom had moved beyond the defense and charged into the penalty area. Montaño blasted a shot from just inside the edge of the area that sailed over Miles' shoulder and just inside the right post for the first score.

Not more than two minutes later, Montaño set up a play that Andy Williams timed well. Williams broke into the area on the left side, with a step on the defense, and Montaño put the ball right onto the winger from near the centerline. Williams was soon met by the hard charges of Miles and Johansson, but he skipped to the right and put in a hard shot into the open net behind Miles for the 2-0 lead.

The match seemed to move into the surreal when Montaño did it again in the 11th minute. The attacking midfielder did a great job of splitting the defense after eceiving a pass on the run from Yakubu. Running right up between defenders Johansson and Chris McConnell, the Colombian fired a hard, high shot right on goal from in between them. The ball was just too hard for the young Niles to handle and the Lambs had a three-goal lead just 11 minutes into play.

Montaño was fantastic, scoring two goals and assisting on the third. He almost had a hat trick later on, but he missed a wide open on-goal shot near the end of the half that he sailed over the cross bar.

In the 16th minute, Jon Masalin picked upa knock, and it soon became apparent he would not be good to continue. Although the passionate Finn disliked it, he was replaced by Thomas Heaton in the 19th minute. Apparently, this was just what the Rovers needed.

They came roaring back in the next ten minute. In the 25th minute, Lovenkrands lifted a high pass from the left touch right into the center of the penalty area and Emerton. Alone on goal, the midfielder scored with ease, putting a hard shot well away from Heaton, into the right corner. Just three minutes later, Neill sent a half-pitch pass from beyind the centreline to Lovenkrands outside of the penalty area. Somehow, neither he nor two Lamb defenders, David Raven and Leon Cort, managed to touch it and it skipped into the right end of the area. Jansen was first in it and hit a hard shot past the charging Heaton for the 3-2 score. I was beginning to sweat.

Just before halftime, in fact, it appeared the Rovers had tied it. Niell took a hard shot from well outside of the area that somehow made its way directly on goal, only to be parried by Heaton. Lovenkrands jumped on the rebound and put in an easy score. Fortunately for Tamworth, though, the ref waved the goal off when Jamie McMaster was ruled to have stepped up a tad too early.

We would continue to have to sweat this one out, which had looked like an easy one after we scored three quick, early oglas, which is even fast for us.

We didn't escape that bare one-goal advantage until the 73rd minute. Cort sent a long pass from beyond the centreline to Mark Hicks on the left edge of the area. Hicks went toward the goal line and then sent a cross pass directly in front of the goal. Oskarsson slipped inside Johansson and used a diving header to send a shot at the left post. The ball fluttered a bit before rolling into the goal, but Miles had played too far up to get to it anyway.

We had to survive a couple of point-blank headers, one by Lovenkrands and another by Jansen, but we pulled out a hard-fought victory. Tamworth 4, Blackburn 2

Contrary to the early success and the final two-goal win, we were actually outshot 8-7 (7-5 on goal) in this one, and that is a rarity. Of course, we also switched to a 4-3-3 after getting the early two-goal lead, so maybe that was it.

Sheffield United Offers To Loan Booth

I still have no idea why people think I am not using Chris Booth.

I received another offer to loan him out on Thursday, from First Division squad Sheffield United. The mid-table club wants to loan his services for three months,

Once again, I turn down the offer, as Booth remains a key backup for our squad--and he probably deserves more playing time as it is.

Storbæk, Skinner Pick Up Knocks In Training

Our fullback crew and depth took a couple hits leading into the weekend.

Jarl Ander Storbæk, who has been a key backup at both fullback and on the wing, sprained his ankle in a training session on Friday. He will be out abotu a week, meaning he is certain to miss the Southampton match. He also would have to miss the Champions League match with Dinamo Kiev next week, except I took him off of the international roster a couple weeks ago.

Storbæk got some company in the training room a day later. Veteran left back Justin Skinner sprained his knee in training on Saturday, and will also miss a week. Considering Skinner hardly ever plays, even as a backup, this doesn't figure to affect us much.

Southampton

Considering the struggle we had against the lowly Rovers, I had to be pessimistic about our chances in a tougher match against 9th-placed Southampton, a tough squad that reached the English League Cup semis before falling in two tight 1-0 contests to Man Utd. Although not on the level of some of the more traditional powers of the Premiership, the Saints have established themselves as a high-quality second-tier squad that is consistently dangerous.

They appear to be more of a defensive club, with just 33 goals scored coming into the match, and 36 allowed. That's a shade below average right now for both of those. The defense is probably in good due part to young international star goalkeeper Owain Fon Williams, the Saints' 21-year-old Welsh rising star in net and already one of the best goalkeepers in the Premiership. He is aided by a solid backline led by centreback Darren Kenton and Man Utd left back loan Paul Tierney.

Popular Irish vet Rory Delap leads the midfield, although the talent of the center of the pitch seems to actually radiate from young English midfielder Shaun Neville. Both could be stronger playmakers, a role they seem to defer to left winger Peter Canero.

Up front, the Saints are very strong. They still have longtime Southampton star James Beattie, who has 16 goals this year, and hasn't failed to score less than 11 goals in a season since the turn of the millenium. Croatian star forward Ivica Olic rounds out one of the best front twosomes in the league, with 15 goals and 11 assists himself. This group is made all the scarier by the presence of rising young Northern Irish superstar David McConnell, the former Ipswich 19-year-old striker that has dominated the First Division since he could first legally operate a motor vehicle.

This is a second eleven match for us. I briefly consider starting Masalin, as he essentially lost his last go ont he pitch because he picked up that early knock, but I decided I didn't want to make a move that would switch the teams of Masalin and Heaton. Hreidarsson was starting at left backin his first official match with the second eleven. Everyone else was as you would expect, with Olisadebe continuing in his replacement role for the injured Andrei Pereplyotkin.

This match was a tough, defensive match from the very beginning. Few shots were even taken through the first half and beyond. When they werew, though, they were high quality chances--so high quality that even solid young keepers like Fon Williams and Heaton couldn't necessarily keep up.

The first score came in the 24th minute. David Marcelo Cortez Pizarro went on a run toward the penalty area, and took on a header pass from Louis Saha. Fon Williams charged out to stop Pizarro, but the Chilean midfielder chipped a beautiful lob shot that sailed over the goalkeeper and fell softly into the net, just inside the left post.

The Saints had the next best chance when Olic fired a shot on goal from left of the left post in the 34th minute. Heaton deflected it over the bar and the resulting corner didn't lead to anything.

In the 40th minute, we worked for a hard-earned chance at the goal. Hreidarsson sends a long pass from beyond the centreline intot he left end of the area. Pizarro and Saha are in the area, marked onyl by Kenton. Pizarro runs to the ball and takes it to the goal line, with Kenton closing in. Pizarro chips off a soft pass into the middle of the area, at a midway point directly between Fon Williams and Saha. The two charge for the ball, and Saha just beats the goalkeeper to it by a tenth of a second, and blasts it on the run right past him for the second score.

Southampton didn't get one back until the 55th minute. Canero moved a ball from the left touchline up to Olic just left of the left post. Olic then sent a drifting pass toward the far end of the six yard box. Neville leaped on it and blasted it a hard shot into the right corner to cut the deficit to one.

With just a quarter of the total match running time remaining in the 66th minute, the two clubs had combined for just seven total shots, four for Southampton. That would soon change.

In that minute, Tamworth centreback James McEveley was called for obstruction after he cut off Beattie. He was carded, and woe to us, it was his second, after he picked one up in the first half for tripping Olic. McEveley was sent off to the lockerroom and we played the rest of the way a man short. That's when Southampton really turned it on, putting the pressur eon us big time. Heaton deflected a 68th minute shot by Olic across the left goal line, and clutched a close header by Beattie in the 75th minute before cracking.

In the 77th minute, Delap had the ball in the left end of the penalty area, but he was under pressure. He moved the ball up to Olic, near the left post of the goal. Olic took a second to turn it around, but when he did, he unleashed a powerful shot at the goal that just blew right by Heaton to tie it up at two apiece.

The pressure wouldn't stop there. In the two minutes following Olic's goal, Canero became a playmaking dynamo. Soon after the kickoff, he set up an on-goal shot by Delap that Heaton saved. Then he sent a high cross over the area that Clichy almost headed into his own net before it was cleared by Kevin Gorman. Clichy would get in the away of another crosser seconds later, but this time, he almost set up a fine shot by Nolberto Solano. The forward retrieved a Canero cross deflected by Clichy and hammered a shot at the net from beyond the right post that sailed over the bar.

All of this was just a prelude to the final breakthrough. After Carl Motteram put a shot on goal that Fon Williams saved, the goalkeeper sent a half-pitch pass to Canero along the left touchline. Canero ran into the offensive pitch largely unmanned, so Hreidarsson drifted away from his mark, Olic, to stop Canero. That, of course, was exactly what Canero was waiting for. He sent a soft pass over the defender to Olic as the Croatian ran into the box. He blasted a hard shot that went right past a rushing Heaton for the go ahead score. Ouch.

In the end, though, we were saved by the counterattack. Gorman cleared a ball out in the 83rd minute, up to Motteram. Motteram sent a long pass across the pitch toward Adam Wilde, on the run toward the opposite goal with defender Claus Lundekvam in close pursuit. The pass actually cleared both players and bounced into the area. Wilde proved fleeter of foot and got to the ball, which had stopped to the left of the left post. Reporoducing the amazing accuracy that has been a trademark of Wilde's since I first got him, the forward blasted a goal-mouth crossing shot at the far post, just catching the inside edge to send the ball back for the amazing comeback score.

Heaton had to make several more close saves in the end, and the Saints outshot us 9-2 after McEveley was sent off, but we managed to escape St. Mary's Stadium with a draw. Tamworth 3, Southampton 3

Our seven-match league winning streak may be over, but at least we didn't lose. McEveley will automatically miss our next domestic match--the English League Cup final next week against Man Utd--thanks to his yellow card deuce.

League News

There were some contract extensions and the like (James Graham got a new cheapie deal from Leicester; personally, if I were him, I would hold out for a lot more than $725,000 per year), but otherwise it was a light week in the news for the Premiership.

Here's the Premiership League Team of the Week:

SC Johnnier Montaño (Tamworth)-- 2 G, 1 A, MoM, 9 rat vs BLK
SC James Graham (Leicester)-- 4 G, 1 A, 2 MoM, 10 rat in 2 matches
MF Tommy Doherty (Bristol City)-- 8 rat vs ARS
MF Dickson Etuhu (Sheff Wed)-- 1 A, 8 rat vs LIV
MF Matthew Hamshaw (Sheff Wed)-- 1 A, 8 rat vs LIV
MF Trond-Erik Bertelsen (Tamworth)-- 8 rat vs BLK
DF Kasper Bogelund (Man Utd)-- 1 G, 8 rat vs CHE
DF Peter Canero (Southampton)-- 1 A, 8 rat vs TAM
DF Joseph Yobo (Everton)-- 8 rat vs FUL
DF Clayton Fortune (Bristol City)-- 1 G, 1 MoM, 9 rat vs ARS
GK Antti Niemi (Nottingham Forest)-- 7 sav, MoM vs NEW

CR

[daedalus]

How can you let all these young players leave the country?!?! I'm disappointed!

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by daedalus

How can you let all these young players leave the country?!?! I'm disappointed!

heh heh, hey I am using an uber tactic. I have to give the opposition some chance!

CR

[Chief Rum]

Champions League Knockout Phase Preview

The Champions League resumes action this week with its knockout phase. Sixteen clubs will begin a single elimination tournament to determine the champion of Europe. Included among this, we will be playing Dinamo Kiev at the Lamb Ground to open our second round two-leg matchup with the Ukrainian High League squad.

Here are the matchups:

AC Milan vs Leverkusen (Germany)(Italy)

A Look At AC Milan: Milan has been one of the traditional superpowers in world club competition for some time now. We have met these guys before, of course, as we played them in the Super Cup in August. This is a team that is always flashing its money, though, so it's no surprise that even that superstar team in August has some key differences now. Milan is the defending champion of the Champions League and is also currently leading the Serie A, perhaps the top league in the world and certainly among the elite. They have the best defense in the Serie A, and are among the three or four handful of teams in offense. They lead the league by two points over Inter and three-time defending league champ Juventus. Since we last played them, Milan paid $54.5 M for two of the Premiership's best midfielders in Arsenal's Gennaro Ivan Gattuso and Liverpool's Harry Kewell. They have been added to a group that is already worldclass with Patrick Vieira (7.23 rat) and Kléberson (6 assists, 7.21 rat), among others on board. Argentinian Andrés D'Allessandro, for whom was paid the current all time high in transfer fees ($68 M) rotates between the midfield and forward, and has been effective at both (9 goals, 9 assists, 7.39 rat). D'Allessandro, stunningly enough, has to fight for playing time on a squad that already has Dutch superstar striker Ruud van Nistlerooy (15 goals), Brazilian forward Kaká (13 goals) and Ukrainian vet striker Andriy Shevchenko (8 goals). You don't get a break from the defense, which has longtime Brazilian international netminder Dida in goal. While 35, Dida shows no signs of slowing down, allowing less than a goal per match. He has a worldclass defense in front of him, led by French fullback Mikaël Silkvestre (7 assists, 7.00 rat) and popular Georgian centreback Kakhaber Kaladze (7.00 rat).

A Look At Leverkusen: This traditional Bundesliga power is flashing its abilities in league once again. After finishing second last year, it is back in that same position again this season, albeit just a shade ahead of FC Bayern. Leverkusen ranks among both offensive and defensive leaders in one of the world's top leagues. Only Dortmund has more points and a better goal differential in the Bundesliga. Belgian striker Stein Huysegems has turned into a huge signing. He leads Leverkusen with 21 goals and 11 assists and has already established himself as the club's premier offensive option. Nigerian Dati (9 goals) and veteran German international Oliver Neuville (8 goals) lend support. English midfielder Joey Barton and Neuville also help out with creating offense (7 assists each). The defense remains a powerful force, headed by legendary Brazilian centreback Lúcio (7.35 rat). Popular German international Herman Balitsch is another big name at fullback. Veteran German goalkeeper Hans-Jög Butt remains a top notch goalkeeper at 34.

Outlook Going Into The Group Stage: Milan was picked by oddsmakers as a favorite to repeat as champions of this tournament and the other two picks, Barcelona and FC Bayern, have both been bounced in thr group stage. Milan was not beaten in Group A, winning four matches and drawing the other two to win the group. They allowed just three goals in the six matches. Leverkusen had the look of a respectable squad that could make it to this level back in September. Still, I think they have done even better than expected, especially with Huysegems blossoming as their lead attacker. The German club did not breeze through Group B action, only earning its spot in the final round of matches by beating Cannes, while third place Banik Ostrava, understandably fell on the road to group winner Juventus.

Tamworth (England) vs Dinamo Kiev (Ukraine)

A Look At Tamworth: We are at the top of one of the best leagues in the world in the Premiership, and we're even pulling away (although the draw to Southampton tightened things up again). Our offense remains domiannt, with an amazing 87 goals scored, far ahead of anyone else in the league. Our defense is solid (33 goals allowed), although i's clear it's the offense that wins us our matches. The offense is largely provided by a deep group of forwards that includes French international Louis Saha (14 goals), Nigerian striker (14 goals) and Orri Freyr Oskarsson (12 goals, 10 assists). The midfield includes two more top goal scorers in Colombian Johnnier Montaño (15 goals) and Chilean David Marcelo Cortez Pizarro (11 goals). The midfield has several key contributors, in particular Irish winger Richie Partridge (9 assists), Dutch international Denny Landzaat (8 assists) and Scottish midfielder Michael Stewart (8 assists). The offense might have had a hiccup with the injury to Andrei Pereplyotkin (15 goals), but they brought in Polish international striker Emmanuel Olisadebe from Hertha BSC, so they should be fine there. The defense got a big boost by the high profile signing of Norwegian international fullback Trond-Erik Bertelsen. He joins key backline players like James McEveley (7.45 rat), Mike Duff (7.33 rat) and Hermann Hreidarsson (7.10 rat). They should help co-starting goalkeepers Thomas Heaton and Jon Masalin, whom have talent but are young and relatively untested at this level.

A Look At Dinamo Kiev: Dinamo Kiev continues to be one of the top teams in the High League, and even have a Champions Cup in their recent past. They are currently second in the High League, just one point behind another traditional power in Shakhtar. The amazing thing is that, through 17 matches in the High League's long drawn out fixture, Dinamo Kiev has allowd just three goals. Three! Obviously, their defense is phenomenal, even against a midlevel league like this one. The offense is solid for the league, which seem s to be a touch defensive in nature, but isn't really on the level of most high end clubs. The head of the defense is veteran Ukrainian netminder Olexandr Shovkovskyi (12 goals conceded in 23 matches, 7.00 rat). He is aided by a backline headed by Serbian international Goran Gavrancic (7.16 rat), and a strong pair of attacking fullbacks/defensive midfielders in Andriy Nesmachnyi (7.40 rat) and Brazilian Alessandro (7 assists, 7.15 rat). Argentinian striker Roberto Nanni leads the offense with 11 goals. He is fed passes by a midfield led by Romanian international Florin Cernat (4 goals, 5 assists).

Outlook Going Into Group Stage: Tamworth came into the tournament as a squad with high expectations, but not necessarily realistic trophy hopes. Still, they were always a possibility, given what they did last year, and they got a friendly draw in Group C to get to this point. They won their first four matches in the group fixture to become one of the first clubs to clinch a spot in the knockout pahse. They ended up on top of Group C after a brief run by Bulgarian squad Levski Sofia put it at risk. Dinamo Kiev is never a team that can be ignorned in this competition, where they have had good success. Still, it was a surprise that they not only clinched a spot, but clinched it with a match to play. The surprise in Group D was the failure of Primiera Liga power Deportivo to even come close to showing up for this tournament, which allowed Dinamo Kiev to easily secure a spot.

Olympiakos (Greece) vs Levski Sofia (Bulgaria)

A Look At Olympiakos: Greek power Olympiakos has long been a heavyweight in the National A, and usually qualifies for European club tournaments. This year, they are a solid fourth in Greece's top league, although at 39 points, they are well behind league leader Iraklis (52 points). Their offense is one of the best in the league, but the defense is only slightly better than average here. Their league performance is actually a bit disappointing, considering they have won the National A three of the past four seasons. Any opponent, no matter what level, has to be serious about putting a stop to Olympiakos' super-Greek striker combo of longtime Greek star Labros Choutos (17 goals, 9 assists) and 18-year-old wunderkind Stelios Erodotou (16 goals). Uruguayan international winger Nery Alberto Castillo (4 goals, 9 assists, 7.35 rat) might be the most important part of the offense, while Greek midfielder Pantelis Kafes (7 assists) also contributes. The midfield is also the area where the Greek squad could play much better this time around, with recent transfer addition, American international Edson Buddle from Rayo in Spain. Greek centrebacks Spyros Vallos (7.06 rat) and Efthymis Kouloucheris (6.94 rat) lead the defense, but as noted, this isn't as strong an area of their team as the offense.

A Look At Levski Sofia: Unlike any other team remaining in the Champions League, Bulgarian squad Levski Sofia doesn't play ina simulated league, and so is tougher to get a handle on. They are a regular Champions League participant from Bulgaria, but this is only the second time they have gotten this far in this tournament since this dynasty started. The game puts together some stats for league games not listed, with stats associated, so I will go by that. The forwards would seem better if they played in an actual league. Borislav Dimitrov (12 goals) and Petar Shopov (11 goals) form the primary sources of scoring up front for this squad. Veteran Serbian midfielder Sasa Simonovic (11 assists, 7.94 rat) is the star in the middle of the offense. Winger Krasen Trifonov (7 assists) is a rising talent for the Bulgarian national team. Brazilian winger Lucio Wagner (5 assists, 8.17 rat) has also been very good against mostly weak competition. The defense doesn't really scare anyone, but it has a couple of solid looking players in Aleksandar Tunchev (7.50 rat) and Zhivko Milanov (7.39 rat). Veteran Bulgarian centreback Iliyan Stoyanov (7.00 rat) has played better in his long career, but lends experience and savvy.

Outlook Going Into Group Stage: Honestly, neither of these teams was thought liekly to get this far. Olympiakos was a stunner in winning Group D. Deportivo was the clear favorite there, and most everyone's choice for the second team was Dinamo Kiev. Olympiakos certainly had a shot, but getting in by the fifth round of matches and winning the group entirely? Obviously, they are a little underrated at this point. Levski Sofia, or the Bulgarian national team, as I have joked in the past, may or may not be as good as a team usually is to get this far. They played in a weak group with only one heavyweight in Tamworth. That said, they did beat Tamworth and they beat the other weaker teams in Group C with the same skill and ability as the Premiership leader did.

Juventus (Italy) vs Celtic (Scotland)

A Look At Juventus: Juventus is the three-time defending champion of the powerful Serie A, and was considered among the top five or six squads in this tournament. While the Champions League this season has been a bit of a stunner, Juventus has largely played up to form. Juventus is just two points back of league leader AC Milan in league play, and they have now reached the Champions League knockout phase in five of the past six seasons (including reaching a final and two semifinals). Their roster is as star-stocked as usual. Still, they haven't been as dominant as Miulan and Inter, the two Italian clubs ahead of them in the Serie A. On both offense and defense, they are competent but not elite compared to the top squads. Long time veteran star striker Alessandro Del Piero may not be the player he used to be, but he is still a key part of Juventus' attack, with 12 goals. His frontline leading squad role, though, has been usurped by Brazilian forward Nenê (15 goals). Del Piero might return to a reserve role, though, as superstar French striker David Trezeguet is about ready to return to action from his shin injury, which has cost him four months this year. Trezeguet has been dominating the Serie A for a decade now, and Juventus is a whole new team with him on the pitch. Another veteran Italian, Mauro Germán Camoranesi is the creative focus of the offense (12 assists), but he gets top notch aid from midfielder Matteo Brighi (6 assists) and the venerable, but still quality Czech star winger Pavel Nedved (5 goals, 4 assists). The defense may not be as solid as the offense, but it's no slouch with Croatian star centreback Igor Tudor (7.26 rat) playing in front of one of the best goalkeepers in the world in Italian international star Gianluigi Buffon (33 goals conceded in 36 matches).

A Look At Celtic: Celtic is the Scottish Premier League's four-time defending champion and is one of the United Kingdom's top football powers. The problem is they play against weaker Scottish clubs, instead of the more reknowned squads of the Premiership. Even so, Celtic hasn't put it all together just yet this season, and are sitting at third in the SPL. They don't lead in eithe roffense or defense in the league, but they do rank highly in both. The dynamic offensive talent for Celtic is at5tacking midfielder Stephen Pearson, who runs opponents ragged while leading the club with 17 goals, 11 assists and an 8.17 rating. He is aided in the scoring load by striker Stefan Moore (10 goals), Rob Hulse (6 goals) and Shaun Maloney (6 goals). Speedy Chilean winger Mark González is almost as important to the offense as Pearson, with 12 assists. Young Scottish goalkeeper David Marshall has been very solid this year (46 goals conceded in 39 matches) in his first season in net, although stopping Juventus could be another matter altogether. He is aided by a quality defense led by Norwegian international fullback Pa-Modou Kah (7.16 rat) and veteran Belgian centreback Joos Valgaeren (7.27 rat).

Outlook Going Into Group Stage: Juventus came into this as one of the top half dozen squads, and now has to be considered a favorite in a tournament that has seen several major upsets, including four of the top six anointed as potential champs. They struggled to overcome Trezeguet's injurya nd some lackluster play in Group B, but they eventually won past Banik Ostrava for both a spot in the knockout phase, and the lead group spot. Celtic is always a club with talent you need to respect, but even so, their performance in Group A was surprising. They won through to the knockout round with ease and nearly toppled group leader and tournament favorite Milan. Considering the talent and experienc ethey have, you have to think they have a solid chance in the remaining rounds.

Sporting Lisbon (Portugal) vs Bodo/Glimt (Norway)

A Look At Sporting Lisbon: The Superleague is one of those leagues that have a lot of talent to respect, but they don't produce superpwer clubs on the level of some of the higher squads. Still, Sporting Lisbon has been the premier club in this league for a while, with four championships in the past five seasons. This league may not be up to Italy or Germany, but it's higher than Greece and probably the Ukraine, so winning here is somewhat significant. At the moment, Sporting Lisbon is underachieving a little, in fourth with 40 points, 5 back of another traditional Portuguese power in Porto. Like some of the other clubs in this tournament, this club isn't particularly doiminant in either end of the pitch, but they do both well enough to be respected. Romanian superstar Marius Niculae (14 goals) is once again by far the premier offensive talent up front. They are a different squad without him on the pitch. The midfield has a wealth of strong talent, including Brazilian midfielder Tinga (5 assists, 7.07 rat), and Portuguese wingers Yuri (5 goals, 3 assists, 7.27 rat) and Luis Olim (7 assists). That midfield has taken a hit, though, for the next round with Olim out for another month with a broken leg. The defense looks able, particularly with playmaking fullbacks Mário Sérgio (4 assists) and veteran Rui Joge (3 assists). Centreback Beto (7.24 rat) and goalkeeper Ricardo (38 goals conceded in 34 matches) have worked together for both Sporting Lisbon and for Portugal's national team for a decade now.

A Look At Bodo/Glimt: Bobo/Glimt may not be a club that is well-known, but they have won the Norwegian Premier Division two years running now, and then they breezed through their group stage. I'm not sure anyone could predict this kind of success. They are about to embark on a defense of their latest championship in the league, which runs from spring to fall in the frigid north. The NPD is a decent enough league, but it is also low enough that you have to wonder how much you can take from the stats in that league. That said, there are some players on this team that can be said to have dominated in Norway last year, particularly up front. The top two strikers are Anders Askheim (25 goals, 17 assists, 8.17 rat) and Hannes Torstein Sigurdsson (19 goals, 10 assists, 7.39 rat), but they also get significant scoring from Kristian Ystaas (13 goals, 9 assists) and Trond Olsen (4 goals, 8 assists, sometimes plays in midfield). Even Knutsen (9 goals, 5 assists, 7.53 rat) appears to be the class of the midfield, although this part of the squad doiesn't seem to be as strong as up front. Tor Egil Horn (28 goals conceded in 34 appearances) is in net, and seems to be decent, if not spectacular. Anders Eriksen (4 goals, 7.15 rat) leades the backline.

Outlook Going Into Group Stage: Sporting Lisbon has some talent, but they weren't expected to be a top contender for this trophy. Still, they seemed like a good choice to get this far from a group that didn't seem to have a truly dominant squad. The top squad ostensibly was Genoa, which finished second in the Serie A last year. Their lack of previous success and a fall from grace this year seems to indicate they were a bit of a fluke, and that gave Sporting lisbon dibs on taking Group E--and they did. The last team I expected to get to the second round was Bodo/Glimt. Not only were they a first time Champions League entry with little obvious top league level talent from at best a medium-level league, but they were entered into the same group as tournament co-favorite FC Bayern and perennial Serie A contender Inter. Not only did they get by those teams, they thrived, jumping out to the Group F lead before eventually allowing Lens to catch them. They and Lens worked to embarass both FC Bayern and Inter, both world-reknowned clubs.

AaB (Denmark) at Ajax (Holland)

A Look at AaB: The Superligaen is a solid European league, but like many other middle-ground leagues, it's a good deal behind the top three (Italy, Germany, England). So doing well here isn't quite the amazing accomplishment it might be elsewhere. That said, AaB hasn't finished lower than second in the league in four seasons, and they are currently third. They have the best defense in the league, although their offense is merely competent. For all its apparent scoring problems, the Danish club does have two strong looking scorers up front in Rajko Lekic (14 goals, 9 assists) and Denmark U-21 regular Christian Jacobsen (14 goals, 7.44 rat). Swedish midfielder Martin Ericsson (8 goals) does most of the rest of the scoring. Surprisingly, much of the creativity of the offense comes from players closer to the back end of the pitch. Defensive midfielder Rasmus Wûrtz (3 goals, 7 assists) and popular centreback Christopher Poulsen (8 assists) do much of the passing not done by Lekic. Wurtz and Poulsen join veteran Norwegian international Trond Andersen (7.15 rat) as the keys to the defense in front of Jimmy Nielsen (28 goals conceded in 35 matches).

A Look At Ajax: Ajax remains one of the top powers in the Netherlands, and the Eridivisie is as strong as La Ligue or the Superleague, and even approaching the weakened Primera Liga (although that might be a stretch). Point is, winning here is a little more significant than in Norway or Scotland or the Ukraine, IMO. Ajax is the defending champion of the Erdivisie, but it is the only such championship since the dynasty began. Ajax is currently in second in the Eridivisie, with traditional Dutch superpower PSV on top, six points ahead of them. Defensively, only PSV is better than Ajax, and the club ranks among the league's better offensive squads as well. The have two well-regarded strikers leading the way in Moroccan international Nourdin Boukhari (17 goals, 6 assists, 7.32 rat) and Belgian star Wesley Sonck (12 goals, 10 assists, 7.53 rat). Dutch midfielder Wesley Sneijder (13 assists) keys the offense, with help from Dutch international Patrick Paauwe (3 goals, 5 assists, 7.21 rat). Italian U-21 regular Matteo Iannone (7.44 rat) has already become a strong force on the backline. He is the top player on a good backline that also features popular international Dutch star Nigel de Jong (3 goals, 3 assists, 7.23 rat), Ruud Knol (7.10 rat) and veteran Hatem Trabelsi (5 assists, 7.04 rat). The backline work is key to the defense as the goalkeeping could be better, with Maarten Stekelenberg (33 goals conceded in 30 matches) a solid, but unspectacular option.

Outlook Going Into Group Stage: AaB wasn't anyone's list to make it to the second round, much less win Group G, which also had the Bundesliga's Werder Bremen and tournament co-favorite Barcelona. AaB became the beneficiary of horrible play by Barcelona, as the superpower failed to even come out of the group. AaB secured its spot and its gorpu win on the final day by going to Werder Bremen's home pitch and drawing them. With Shakhtar as dominant as they were in Group H, this group featured a tight race for the second spot. Ajax ended up winning out in a tough group which included powerful Man Utd. Ajax had to actually do what no one had yet to get into the tourney--beat Shakhtar. So they earned it.

Shakhtar (Ukraine) vs Werder Bremen (Germany)

A Look At Shakhtar: Shakhtar, along with Dinamo Kiev, has symbolized the stunning rise of the Ukrainian High League in the hierarchy of professional European football leagues. They have turned themselves into a respected power, if not a superpower in most estimations. It helps that they have consistently done well in the Champions League when they have gotten here, much like Dinamo Kiev, a past Champions Cup winner, has done. Shakhtar is currently on top of the High League, and seeking their second championship in three seasons. Last year, they finished third. They don't have the ridiculous dominance Dinamo Kiev does on defense, but they are very good there, and they have the second best offense in the league. Ukrainian international forward Gennadiy Zubov leads the offense (19 goals, 7 assists). He is the lone frontline starter on a squad that uses a 4-5-1, with forward midfielders. The best of those scoring midfielders are Armen Akopyan (13 goals, 4 assists, 7.34 rat) and Vitaliy Lysyts'kyi (10 goals, 5 assists, 7.21 rat). Romanian international winger Râzvan Rat (6 goals, 10 assists, 7.31 rat) is another source of offense in this atypical tactic. Vitaliy Rudenko (27 goals conceded in 30 matches) is a solid player in net for Shakhtar, and he is aided by a backline that features Ukrainian international star Anatoliy Tymoschuk (4 goals, 3 assists, 7.15 rat) and Polish defensive midfielder Mariusz Lewandowski (four goals, 7.11 rat).

A Look At Werder Bremen: This squad has yet to finish higher than third in the league since this dynasty started, and this is also the first time they have gotten to the Champions League. They are a bit of an enigma, having gotten this far despite a historic lack of real success (at least in comparison to fellow league mates like FC Bayern and Leverkusen, among others) and also being 10th this season in the top German league. Even in a tough league like Bundesliga, that's usually not the stuff of champions. Werder Bremen has an offense that ranks up there with the best in the league, but their defense is in the bottom half of the league, so now you see the problem. The heavy scoring load is carried by a super foursome of strikers, including a trio of Brazilians in young Brazilian Diego Tardelli (14 goals, 11 assists), Lincoln (13 goals, 4 assists, 7.44 rat), and Diego (9 goals, 13 assists, 7.47 rat), along with veteran Russian international Vladimir Beschastnykh (13 goals, 7 assists, 7.24 rat). Oddly enough, though, with all that talent up front, the leading goal scorer is another Brazilian in midfielder Lúcio Flávio (18 goals, 9 assists, 7.41 rat). Where would this squad be without Brazil? Those five do both the scoring and much of the passing, though, so it's them or bust, usually. Popular German centreback Frank Baumann (6.90 rat) and Frank Fahrenhorst (6.94 rat) lead a respectable backline that seems like it is playing below its capabilities. Hit-and-miss goalkeeper Thomas Richter (62 goals conceded in 38 matches) is perhaps the big problem on defense, though.

Outlook Going Into Group Stage: While no one doubts that Shakhtar has proven its credentials, I don't think anyone would have predicted them clinching a spot in the knockout phase by the fourth round of matches and being the only undefeated squad in the group stage after five. You have to respect a run like that, especially in a group with a couple other very respectable squads in Man Utd and Ajax. Considering they are also first in the High League right now, Shakhtar looks poised for a run. Werder Bremen's offense is fantastic, though, and that's a big hurdle to get by. That defense is scary, though, so it's mystifying they have gotten where they have. They came into Group G competition as the likely second best team in the group, and that's where they ended up. Of course, it was Barcelona that was supposed to be on top, not Danish club AaB, so Werder Bremen might have dodged a bullet in that Barcelona really droppe dthe ball in the Champions this year.

Lens (France) vs Brno (Czech Republic)

A Look At Lens: The top league in France is a tough one to get a read on. They are clearly not at the level of the very top leagues, but they have tremendous parity from club to club, and it seems to be a breeding ground for some fo the best players in the world, both French and otherwise. So coming out of La Ligue to grab a Champions League spot is significant for Lens. Still, Lens has been more often a squad that has struggled to evade relegation more often than threatened to be a part of Europe's top club competitions. Last year's second place finish came out of nowhere. It may be that last year was a corner turned, though, as the French club is now in third in league and don't look to be falling any time soon. Among contenders in La Ligue, their defense is a little worse than the others, but their offense is as strongly rated as most in France. Like Werder Bremen, lens relies ona deep forward and versatile forward crew that includes several Brazilians. It's tough to say who is more dominant with Brazlilian forward Rico (15 goals, 13 assists, 7.21 rat) or Colombian international star Oscar Eduardo Villarreal (13 goals, 7 assists, 7.93 rat). Lens will have to hope it's Rico, though, as Villarreal will miss the next two months to a torn groin muscle. French strikers Moreira (11 goals, 5 assists) and Peguy Luyindula (7 goals, 7 assists), and Brazilian Deivid (6 goals) lend impressive depth that will help cover up the loss of Villarreal. The midfield is very strong, as some of that forward depth sometimes plays there, in and around two of the club's top players in popular Malian star winger Seydou Keita (8 assists, 7.17 rat) and steady French midfielder Bruno Cheyrou (5 goals, 9 assists, 7.11 rat). Brazilian defender Leílton (7.15 rat) leads the backline, but his fellow starters are often younger defenders still cutting their teeth. Veteran Italian goalkeeper Flavio Roma (42 goals conceded in 37 matches) has rebounded from an awful year last season with Chievo to become the premier defensive player on the squad.

A Look At Brno: Were it not for Bodo/Glimt, I'm not sure a Cinderella squad could trump the shocking run of Brno, which began its Champions League campaign this season in the second round of qualifying. The Czech Republic squad has consistently surprised and beaten some big opponents along the way. This is their first Champions League, though, and they have never even won the Czech First Division, in which they finished second last year. They are currently third. Their defense is solid, but not spectacular, while their offense is downright average, even by Czech First Division standards. Still, it's hard to argue with results. A trio of strong strikers do the vast bulk of the scoring for this squad, with popular striker Libor Dosek (13 goals, 7 assists, 7.55 rat), Milan Pacanda (13 goals, 9 assists, 7.48 rat) and Petr Musil (10 goals, 8 assists). In a bit of nationalism, all three offensive talents are Czech, which you don't usually see in Champions League level clubs (but is repeated on some other second round squads this year, including Shakhtar and Levski Sofia). Those three strikers work together to produce much of the offense for this squad, which doesn't appear to be as strong in the midfield. Young Czech Republic U-21 right winger Eugeny Yeremin (6 assists) has contributed from the midfield at points. The defense features standout attacking fullback Roman Drga (5 goals, 4 assists, 7.28 rat). Like Lens, though, this backline has an awful lot of youth on itm albeit talented youth. Jindrich Skacel (34 goals conceded in 32 matches) is decent, if not awe-inspiring in net.

Outlook Going Into Group Phase: Neither of these teams was expected to get this far. For Lens, it wasn't their talent, so much as an awful draw. They were placed in a group with tourney co-favorite FC Bayern and Italian superpower Inter, and they probably thought they got a break when Bodo/Glimt was placed there, too. The reality is that Group F was one of the more shocking of such groups in this tournament's history, with everything finishing topsy-turny, as the little Norwegian and French clubs sent two of the most powerful squads in Europe home. Lens ended up winning the group with a 3-1 victory at home over FC Bayern. Brno deserves all that accolades it gets, but like Group E winner Sporting Lisbon, it was fortunate to end up in this group. Genoa was the "heavyweight" and it was no shock when last year's surprising second place Serie A squad ended up dropping both in league and in the Champions League. That opened up a spot for the opportunistic Brno, whom had to consider itself a much more natural match for group winner Sporting Lisbon and Partizan. The Czech squad actually was leading the group for much of the way before losing to Sporting Lisbon in the fourth match. Even that, just relegated them to second place. While I wouldn't bet big money on either of these teams, it's hard to ignore what they have accomplished so far.

Predictions

So how will it all come out? Here's my blow-by-blow take.

Second Round

Milan over Leverkusen: There's just too much talent on the defending champion squad in this, the best of the second round matches.

Tamworth over Dinamo Kiev: Top offense versus top defense. I think offense will win out. I could be biased, though.

Olympiakos over Levski Sofia: I think the Greek squad Olympiakos is underrated and has some very nice talent. Levski Sofia is decent, but I don't see them winning this one.

Juventus over Celtic: I would love to pick Celtic here, but Juventus is just too loaded. You don't win the Serie A three years in a row for nothing.

Sporting Lisbon over Bodo/Glimt: I think true Cinderella dreams end when you get to this level, and Sporting Lisbon will pop the Norwegian club's bubble.

Ajax over AaB AaB is no slouch, but this should eb a win going away for Ajax. They have the kind of talent you find on solid clubs in the top leagues in the world.

Shakhtar over Werder Bremen: Werder Bremen has some powerful talent up front, but Shakhtar has been too dominant so far to ignore. I think they will keep it up for at least another round.

Lens over Brno: Once again, the dream ends. Lens looks strong, even without Villarreal, and they should be more than a match for Brno.

Quarterfinals

Milan over Tamworth: We won the Super Cup, but they really reloaded by adding Gattuso and Kewell. I think we'll fall in a close one.

Juventus over Olympiakos: Olympiakos is a good team--but they aren't this good. Juventus will win to make it an all-Italian affair in one semifinal.

Ajax over Sporting Lisbon: This should be one of the tightest battles in the Champions League, as these teams seem to have very comparable talent. In the end, better overall balance will get the Dutch squad to the semis.

Lens over Shakhtar: I think Lens' offense and the surprising play of Roma in net will be enough to edge out a spirited Shakhtar club. Besides, this is where the Ukrainian club usually checks out.

Semifinals

Juventus over Milan: Why? Heck if I know. Both of these squads are just ridiculously rich in talent. I think the return of Trezeguet will elevate Juventus to the Serie A champion level it has been holding the past few years and edge out Milan.

Lens over Ajax: Villarreal will finally be back for this one, and the overall offensive talent for the French club should be enough to beat a club that is dependent on too many young backline players.

The Final

Juventus over Lens

Lens by now is the Cinderella squad, but in the end, true talent will generally win out. Juventus is just too strong with Trezeguet and Del Piero, among others, up front, and star goalkeeper Buffon in net.

CR

[Chief Rum]

Tuesday, February 24 To Monday, March 2

This is a big week for us, even though we will not be playing a league match.

As you no doubt will have gathered from the previous post, we will be hosting Dinamo Kiev in a Champions League second round match on Wednesday. This will begin the two-leg round in the first step of the knockout phase of Europe's most prestigious tournament.

On Sunday, we will get the chance to redeem ourselves for the one tragic error of last season--the English League Cup final. Last year, of course, we took our opponent, the since-relegated Sunderland, far too lightly, and it ended up costing us the domestic treble. We do not plan to make that mistake again.

Of course, the opponent fate handed to us is abit tougher than the last: Man Utd. Our nemesis in league play has already shown the ability to beat us, even using our tactic. This should be a terrific test for my squad.

This will also be a test of the system I set up following last season's debacle at Wembley. I lost last year because I had to make the choice of playing my best against European competition (we were in the UEFA at the time) or against Sunderland. I decided that I could wing it against Sunderland, so I played my best against Norwegian club Rosenborg, my third round UEFA opponent, three days before the 2008 English League Cup final. That, of course, was a key reason I marched a subpar squad onto the pitch for the Sunderland match.

It was with that stretch in mind that I developed the two separate elevens depthg I have had this season. I will find out this week if I was justified after all in carrying so much depth that I risked upsetting quality Lambs who rightfully feel they deserve more time.

Dinamo Kiev

I won't go into too much detail about Dinamo Kiev here, as I just did so int he last post. Needless to say, when the match at the Lamb Ground started on Wednesday, they had everyone I expected, including a blend of Ukrainian and international stars that went from Olexandr Shovkovskiy, the Ukrainian goalkeeper whom has been so strong this year, and attacking fullback Andriy Nesmachnyi, another top Ukrainian, to such foreign players as Nesmachnyi's wing partner, the Brazilian Alessandro, Argentinian striker Roberto Nanni and playmaking Romanian midfielder Florin Cernat. They play a 3-2-3-2 tactic that I don't believe I have seen played by anyone else yet in this game.

This is a first eleven match for me, and it was the usual suspects on the pitch. We got off to a good start from the point of producing offense, although it took a very nice shot to get the first score.

In the 13th minute, we had been knocking on the door for a while, with a Jim Corbett crossing pass zipping by the front of the goal mouth before being cleared out, and a deflection save of a Ykubu shot by Shovkovskiy. The clear out by Alessadnro of the Corbett crossing pass didn't go veyr far, to the left corner of the area. Yakubu was on it first and sent it up to Michael Stewart in the middle of the offensive pitch. Stewart was moving a little closer to the edge of the area when a hole in the defense opened up. He fired a low and hard shot tiward just inside of the left post. Shovkovskiy apparently didn't see it, as he made no move toward it as the ball sailed in from some 30 yards out for an improbable score.

Pressure set up the next score for us ten minutes later. Corbett was terrorizing the Dinamo Kiev defense with runs into the right end of the area, and this play was set up by a similar run. Corbett dodged by two defenders and looked about ready to send off another crossing pass into a busy front of the goal when Nesmachnyi made a last ditch tackle and edged the ball away from the winger. Perhaps fearing the pass would still end up on a Lamb foot, midfielder Olexandr Aliev inadvertently handballed in the area as he tried to clear the ball. The ref called it, and Shovkovskiy was soon faced with having to stop an Andy Williams penalty kick. Williams blasted a hard shot at the left post that seemed to freeze the Ukrainian goalkeeper, and the kick slammed into the post and back into the net for the 2-0 Tamworth lead.

Most of the first half was good news like this, but we did have one bit of bad news. Trond-Erik Bertelsen was kicked in a 29th minute challenge with Allesandro and went down. He had to leave the match, although he did walk off with the help of a couple teammtes. Considering we just got him back, it would be a horrible blow to us to lose the top fullback so soon after adding him to the squad.

Dinamo Kiev wouldn't seriously test our defense until the final minutes. By then, we had added a third score by Johnnier Montaño, who drove a ball right by Shovkovskiy from the left end of the area.

The best of the Ukrainian club's late chances came in the 85th minute when Morrocan midfielder Badr El Kadouri ended up with the ball in the middle of the offensive pitch. His ballwork drew the defense up to him and allowed midfielder Andriy Husin to slip behind them and toward the box. El Kadouri put the pass on the mark, and Husin went in on goal alone. Jon Masalin rushed out to him and took Husin's shot on the runs, deflecting it back out. Husin kicked in stride again, but the ball this time sailed over the crossbar for the goal kick. Tamworth 3, Dinamo Kiev 0

We lucked out with Bertelsen. It was merely a bruised shin and he will miss just two days. I think he should have stomached the pain and stayed on the pitch, although I know shin injuries can really hurt.

Other Champions League Second Round Results

Leverkusen 3, Milan 2 The German club came back to score the winner in the 90th minute on an injury time Joey Barton goal.

Levski Sofia 2, Olympiakos 0 The Bulgarian club did a surprising solid job on Olympiakos defensively, only allowing two shots on the match.

Juventus 1, Celtic 0 Juventus edged the Scottish club despite being outshot at home. The lone score was by Nenê in the 58th minute.

Bodo/Glimt 4, Sporting Lisbon 1 The underrated Norwegian club continues to surprise, as they dominate the supposedly stronger Superleague club at home. Sporting Lisbon was particularly hurt when midfielder Tinga was sent off with his second yellow card just before halftime, when the score was just 1-1.

AaB 2, Ajax 0 If Ajax is the stronger club from the better league, they're going to need to do better against AaB. The Danish club scored two goals in two minutes in the first half and limited the Dutch club to just two shots on goal.

Shakhtar 3, Werder Bremen 2 Shakhtar pulled out a wild, back-and-forth match with a Gennadiy Zubov injury time score to take this one. Every time Shakhtar took a lead, and then Werder Bremen would shortly later tie it upo again. The German club just simply ran out of time after Zubov's late score.

Brno 2, Lens 0 This first round couldn't have gotten more against form. This is merely the latest. Cinderella squad Brno continues its run with a strong defensive performance in a match that only included five shots on goal between both clubs.

The second leg of the Champions League second round will be played on March 11.

UEFA Third Round First Leg Results

The other top European club competition also resumed play this week, with the first leg of the third round being played all over Europe on Thursday.

Three Premiership squads won their matches today. Aston Villa pasted Greek squad Panachaiki at home, 3-0, while Newcastle edged Paris-SG 2-1 at St. james Park, and Liverpool won a tight, 1-0, contest on the road over Polish club Wisla. The only loss came courtesy of the First Division Wolves, who lost 1-0 to Champions League failure Genoa. The Wolves are in the UEFA for reaching the FA Cup final last year (before losing to us).

In the most surprising result of the night, Chornomorets stunned Bundesliga-topping Dortmund, 3-0. The second leg will be played on March 4.

Davenport Resumes Light Training

It took most of the year, but young fullback Pat Davenport got the go ahead on Saturday to begin light training to prepare for his return from rehabilitation of a chrnic groin muscle injury. Davenport, 18, was originally thought to be a contender for the second eleven right back spot, which has been ably held by Kevin Gorman this season. Davenport is still at least a month away from returning.

Board Confidence Update

We got the same message we always do from the board today. They remain deliriously happy with my management.

February Premiership Awards

After months of largely hitting and missing on the league's monthly awards, we finally scored a nice month for February.

For the this time this season, I was named the Premiership Manager of the Month, going 3-1-0. We also got another Premiership Player of the Month, when Orri Freyr Oskarsson got the nod. He had four goals, three assists and a 9 rating in three league matches in February.

The Premiership Young Player of the Month went to Leicester's James Graham for the second straight month. He has certainly been playing very strong ball since his return from injury. He had four goals, an assist and an 8.67 rating in three league matches this past month.

Man Utd, English League Cup Final

The time has come to return to Wembley Stadium and do what we failed to do last season: win the English League Cup Final.

And we get to play Man Utd again, for the fourth time this season. We have already wrapped our league matches with them, and we also played them in this very stadium more than half a year ago in the Community Shield. We also lost two of those three matches, but won the last won, 5-1, at the Lamb Groiund last month.

The Man Utd squad looks as strong as ever, with the usual suspects ont he pitch. The only different addition than usual was Emilio Moretti playing entreback in place of Rio Ferdinand, who tore a groin muscle in early February. The backline for the Red Devils is deep, though, and I don't think I have played the same defender fourosme twice yet in a match with them. One odd move was putting three of their best wingers all on the sub list in Sidney Govou, Cristiano Ronaldo and Kieran Richardson, and starting Patrice Evra and Gilberto Silva. Maybe they're trying to shake things up after losing to us badly last month.

It was a second eleven match for us, although we had to make a small change. With James McEveley suspended for his send off against Southampton last week, we had to start Jon Otsemobor in his place.

Apparently I gave a rousing speech before the match, or maybe the players were inspried by their loss here last year, because we got to work right away. Right off the kick off, the ball ended up on Emmanuel Olisadebe's head int he middle of the pitch, which he moved forward to David Marcelo Cortez Pizarro as he ran into the left end of the area. Pizarro moved in on goal, as Fabien Barthez closed in him. He fired a shot up close on Barthez, but the goalkeeper blocked the shot. The ball fall a touch to Barthez's right and Pizarro was first on it. He blasted the rebound past Barthez as the netminder tried to recover from the first save, and the ball sailed into the empty net for the first minute score.

Man Utd didn't start off too well there, but they played with us through the first half. They had a couple of strong possibilities to put one in, too. In the 19th minute, Eric Djemba-Djemba struck a hard shot from the edge of the area that cut throught he traffic and went on goal before Thomas Heaton was able to parry it away. In the 31st minute, Gateano D'Agostino sent a high drifting corner almost right down on the center of the goal, and defender Kasper Bogelund headed it toward the net. Kevin Gorman was in place, though, and he blocked the shot down the left goal line. And in the 39th minute, Nicolas Anelka went ona s trong run intot he box off of a Patrice Evra pass and had an angled shot on goal, but he kicked it too high and over the bar.

Things became much more complivated for the Red Devils in the 42nd minute when Moretti made the ill-advised decision to drag down Olisadebe from behind. It was the centreback's second yellow (the first also came on a foul against Olisadebe), and he was sent off. Strangely enough, Man Utd also lost another defender, Phillip Bardsley, in their loss to us last month, and in the 43rd minute, just a minute off of Moretti's dismissal.

Despite this, we didn't dominate this match, although we did have the possession edge. We ended up just doing a better job of capitalizing on our chances. In the 48th minute, Richie Partridge passed up to Olisadebe along the right touchline, and the striker volleyed a crossing pass into the center of the area. Louis Saha was alone running into the box, and after a little sidestep to get an angle on Barthez, he put a shot into the net just inside the left post for the 2-0 lead.

We put it away in the 56th minute, when Olisadebe headed in a Partridge free kick at the right post. Barthez moved up to stop the header, but the ball just managed to squeeze in between the charging keeper and the post for the 3-0 lead. A 77th minute penalty kick by Chris Booth rounded things off,a nd we pulled off an impressive win for the English League Cup in front of more than 80,000 screaming football fans. Tamworth 4, Man Utd 0

We haven't beaten Man Utd this year in a match that didn't have one of their guys sent off, but then, maybe they should be more careful about that.

We were awarded $1.6 M for our win the English League Cup final, and have taken our first step toward the domestic treble.

Nicely enough, following the match, the supporters showed their love for me by saying I as a "credit to the team and to my profession".

The board also said they were very pleased with me, although that doesn't come as a surprise (well, neither was the supporter love).

Warren Out With Training Injury

On Monday, little used backup centreback Mark Warren, who is currently on the transfer list, seriously sprained his ankle and will be out of action for two weeks. Warren has just three appearances this season, so I don't anticpate the squad mossing a beat.

League News

I don't normally mention lower league news, but I thought you guys would find this interesting. On Saturday, Third Division Tranmere fired Kasey Keller. That's right, the former American goalkeeper. Keller, 39, the former goalkeeper for the Spurs, retired a couple years ago and became a fulltime managing candidate. He was hired by Tranmere last April, but couldn't save the club from relegation from the Second Division. This year, they have really struggled and now are flirting with relegation from the Third Division. Obviously, this is probably why he was fired. He ended his tenure with Tranmere with a fairly even 20-8-22 record.

Aston Villa's veteran Slovakian midfielder Igor Demo reportedly told his manager Tord Grip that he felt he was being victimised by league refs after being sent off in the Villans' loss to Leicester on Sunday.

Demo got two yellows in the Leicester match and has eight yellow cards on the year.

Demo reportedly asked Grip for advice on how to stop "this unfair treatment" he feels he is receiving from the refs.

On Monday, Celtic won the signature of young winger Steve Robinson, formerly of Bristol City. His contract was allowed to expire by Bristol City on February 15, putting him on free transfer.

Despite that, Robinson was thought to be a well-regarded young player whom at 20 years old had already been starting for Bristol City for four years. This season Robinson had two assists in 25 appearances with Bristol City this season, and a 6.60 average rating.

Robinson took a $700,000 contract offer from Scottish Premier League Celtic over offers from Birmingham, and Zaragoza and Valladolid of the Primeral Liga.

I considered an offer to Robinson, but I didn't have any him scouted and wasn't ready to offer a guy $500,000-plus when I didn't know what I was getting.

Here's the Premiership League Team of the Week

SC James Graham (Leicester)-- 2 G, MoM, 10 rat vs AST
SC Adrian Mutu (Chelsea)-- 2 G, MoM, 10 rat vs BLK
MF Fabian Ernst (Tottenham)-- 1 G, MoM, 8 rat vs SOU
MF Darren Carter (Birmingham)-- 1 G, MoM, 9 rat vs BRI
MF Matthew Hamshaw (Sheff Wed)-- MoM, 8 rat vs MAN
MF Wayne Bridge (Man City)-- 7 rat vs SFW
DF Phil Neville (Fulham)-- 1 G, 1 A, 8 rat vs COL
DF Lee Webb (Sheff Wed)-- 8 rat vs MAN
DF Mbulelo Mabizela (Tottenham)-- 8 rat vs SOU
DF Anthony Gardner (Tottenham)-- 8 rat vs SOU
GK Neil Miles (Blackburn)-- 8 sav, 8 rat vs CHE

CR

[daedalus]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

Argentinian Andrés D'Allessandro, for whom was paid the current all time high in transfer fees ($68 M) rotates between the midfield and forward, and has been effective at both (9 goals, 9 assists, 7.39 rat). D'Allessandro, stunningly enough, has to fight for playing time on a squad that already has Dutch superstar striker Ruud van Nistlerooy (15 goals), Brazilian forward Kaká (13 goals) and Ukrainian vet striker Andriy Shevchenko (8 goals).

Just a thought . . . One of my favourite ways of acquiring players was to be a vulture on these teams once the players are sufficiently unhappy. You also have an easier time shaking them up when they don't get enough playing time like this. Or an easier time snaking them on Bosman.

As an example, in my 01/02 game, I got D'Allesandro for 1.5M about a year and a half after Rangers paid 7.5M for him (point of reference, the most expensive transfer ever in my game was about 30 and only two were over 30).

[Chief Rum]

Yeah, I have actually done that on occasion. Giovanny Hernández wasn't happy being a reserve on Man Utd, for instance. I recently signed Emilio Mora in a similar situation, and I do keep my eye out. Years ago, I made Adu get pissed off at SC Freiburg for refusing to move him to me.

I also did this in my past Middlesbrough dynasty, when I went after Jimmy Floyd Hasslebaink with Chelsea and for Colombian international Jairo Fernando Castillo, with America de Cali.

Still, while it's in my arsenal of tricks, I usually don't go to those tactics unless I really want someone, and his owner is being a total butthead.

CR

[Chief Rum]

Premiership Table, March 3, 2009

| Pos   | Team         | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D.| Pts | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   | Tamworth     |  26 | 21  |  2  |  3  |  87 | 33 | +54 |  65 | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   | Man Utd      |  26 | 18  |  4  |  4  |  53 | 23 | +30 |  58 | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   | Arsenal      |  26 | 16  |  4  |  6  |  48 | 21 | +27 |  52 | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   | Chelsea      |  27 | 15  |  4  |  8  |  49 | 34 | +15 |  49 | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5th   | Liverpool    |  26 | 14  |  5  |  7  |  42 | 28 | +14 |  47 | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 6th   | Aston Villa  |  27 | 12  |  5  | 10  |  50 | 45 |  +5 |  41 | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 7th   | Birmingham   |  27 | 12  |  5  | 10  |  33 | 33 |   0 |  41 | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 8th   | Newcastle    |  26 | 10  |  8  |  8  |  40 | 35 |  +5 |  38 | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 9th   | Southampton  |  27 | 11  |  5  | 11  |  37 | 41 |  -4 |  38 | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 10th  | Sheff Wed    |  27 | 10  |  7  | 10  |  31 | 28 |  +3 |  37 | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 11th  | Everton      |  27 |  9  |  9  |  9  |  30 | 34 |  -4 |  36 | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 12th  | Nottm Forest |  26 |  9  |  8  |  9  |  34 | 38 |  -4 |  35 | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 13th  | Fulham       |  27 |  8  |  8  | 11  |  28 | 38 | -10 |  32 | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14th  | Tottenham    |  27 |  8  |  7  | 12  |  40 | 44 |  -4 |  31 | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 15th  | Man City     |  27 |  6  | 10  | 11  |  35 | 43 |  -8 |  28 | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 16th  | Leicester    |  27 |  7  |  7  | 13  |  32 | 51 | -19 |  28 | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 17th  | Blackburn    |  27 |  7  |  5  | 15  |  34 | 55 | -21 |  26 | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 18th  | Blackpool    |  27 |  7  |  4  | 16  |  27 | 47 | -20 |  25 | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 19th  | Bristol City |  27 |  6  |  6  | 15  |  27 | 38 | -11 |  24 | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20th  | Colchester   |  27 |  2  |  5  | 20  |  21 | 69 | -48 |  11 | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------|

Comments: The primary difference between now and the table from two months ago is that I have begun to pull away from the pack, and Arsenal and Aston Villa have switched places. Arsenal seems to be benefiting from the departure of manager Bert van Marwijk, while Aston Villa has cooled off from the hot streak that got them all the way up to third by the turn of the year. Newcastle continues to underachieve, and allowed Birmingham to move ahead of them. Two months ago, the top ten was rounded out by Everton and Nottingham Forest. Bad runs by both have dropped them to the middle of the table and out of range of European qualification, while Southampton jumped into the top ten and Sheffield Wednesday continued the better-than-expected play that has them in the middle of the table in the first place. Fulham and Tottenham remain squads with talent, but they can't seem to catch a break to move up right now. They are still 13th and 14th in the table. The last two months have seen traditional squads like Man City and Blackburn put themselves back out of relegation after getting scared by a low run of form. Leicester, too, has seen its fortunes rise, not coincidentally with the return of two-time Young Player of the Month James Graham. Blackpool and Britstol City have dropped from upstarts back to the relegation candidates they were considered at the beginning of the season. As in January, Colchester remains one of the worst Premiership squads seen in years.

CR