Betting For Dummies - From A Dummy

Before we crack on with the first of the new weekly series, I’m no betting expert and I hope the title gets that across. With two free £10 bets with SkyBet, I hope to try and make a small bit of profit without spending. Firstly, something I can’t stress is only bet what you can afford, in my case, nothing.

Secondly, use a bit of common sense. A perfect example for this week is a 4-0 away win for Bolton this week, it’s not going to happen. With I’d say a good knowledge of the game, hopefully I can use that to my advantage, with you guys following my progress.

Don’t expect this to be a very long, insightful blog. Each week, I’ll give my bets, a small reasoning for doing so and the odds/potential winnings. So, without further due, let’s start with the first of two bets this week.

Bet Number 1: QPR and Swansea to win - @7.72

I’m no betting man but I presume if bet £10, I get 77.20 in return? (If not, I’m sure someone will correct me.)

 

I have done the double bet for two reasons. Firstly, QPR are on the up. With this new takeover bid, the team will be on a high and with Wigan’s performances; I can see them nicking a win. Secondly, Swansea have home advantage, in contrast, Sunderland are still shaking off a defeat to Newcastle, how will their new signings cope?

Bet Number 2: Luiz Suarez to score the first goal against Bolton - @4.50

Suarez is in fine scoring form and with a home fixture, which’s to doubt he’ll score again. Bolton conceded three to City and you feel Liverpool will get goals in this game. Now, how confident are you in Suarez, personally, @26.00 to score a hat-trick may be worth a punt.

Bonus Bet: Blackburn to score first against Everton - @2.25

There at home, why not? Bonus bets are going to be more maverick style bets.

That’s it for the first day of betting, may put one up tomorrow for Sunday’s games depending on the feedback on this one. I wouldn’t recommend doing the same bets as me but I would recommend you follow my progress throughout the season.

Thanks for reading,

 

Footylad.

Fergie's Babes.

Alan Hansen’s deluded comment on “You’ll never win anything with kids,” may come round to haunt the ex-Liverpool turned BBC pundit again as it appears, in a time of over-priced players, Fergie is doing it again. The 3-0 win against Tottenham could be the start of what’s to come, fielding a side of the average age of just 23, Ferguson is clearly going down the youthful route, regenerating his side with the loss of such figureheads that stood before the current crop.

 

Going back to the time of “over-priced players,” this is no cheap investment Ferguson is making. A mixture of local talent and foreign imports has a slight ring to the previous side, with Cantona being the focal point in a side that will go down in history as one of the best ever. This time around, English players like Rooney and Ferdinand will have to lead the line (that’s if Ferdinand will get in the side.)

Now, why do I say that? The youngsters coming through are just that good. An example was set last Monday with future England Captain Phil Jones shining in a four man “second-string” defence. Costing £16.5 million, that initial fee for a 19 year old wonderkid may seem strong but in fact, it’s a bargain. The Champions League quarter-finalists were kept quiet with Jones’ intelligent play, anticipating the next move and wearing his heart on his sleeve, throwing himself into every tackle.

Another part of the back four was Chris Smalling, playing Non-League football just three seasons ago, Fulham spotted the youngster and without them, he wouldn’t be where he is today. A centre back by trade, Ferguson has seen the potential and shifted him to the right back role where he is the equivalent of our own little Daniel Alves. His centre back instincts may lead him to future error but his attacking style, alongside his pace is a dangerous threat for any team. The 21 year old may be the answer for the loss of Gary Neville, a strength of Smalling is his nerve. Playing many big games at a young age hasn’t flustered him, reacting with calm and precision to all situations and at times, been the best player on the pitch. Another example of the Tottenham game was his ability to do something not many have, keep Gareth Bale quiet.

In his own right, Gareth Bale is one of the top wingers in Europe. After providing so much dangers for top full backs around Europe last season, his direct approach and crossing ability causes havoc, something Manchester United themselves have admired. The modern-day Ryan Giggs was as silent as any other, Smalling marked him out of the game, not allowing him to push up the pitch as well as whipping in them crosses to test our new keeper, David de Gea.

I’ve talked about David in several blogs before so I’ll keep this one short. At only 20 years old, the massive investment in David is apparent, his potential is endless but the current media flock are already on his case with the slowness of adapting to the English game. For me, his qualities shone the weaknesses against Tottenham. His distribution and tactical awareness was undoubtedly fantastic, but, it didn’t stop the negativity to come out once more. It’s obvious his aerial abilities are flawed; catching is a weak point but can be resolves, just like the other “weaknesses” the week before.

Why do I say that? He resolved two major issues against Tottenham. Firstly, his concentration. Keeping a clean sheet, throughout periods of the game where the United side faced pressure as well as dealing with shots from range, something he hadn’t dealt with prior. Even though his catching weren’t good from an aerial position, he held onto everything well, even with the onrushing Jermaine Defoe, who left his mark on De Gea late on.

Still, with the prior fantastic performances, many are still after one more player. The central midfield is lacking one final piece to the jigsaw. With Cleverley and Anderson seeming the main two, they both a bit similar. With Anderson being left-footed, I’d keep him in the side as he adds that variety. Cleverley is young and his performances have already gained him an England squad call-up but, with the calibre of player we need (Modric, Sneijder etc) maybe it’s time to go splash some more cash, and go show Barca what United are made of.

Moving onto the forward areas of the squad, one youngster shone above all the others. Danny Welbeck had a terrific second half performance, scoring one and making another, showing he’s developed from a boy to a man. A problem with Welbeck in the past was he never stayed on his feet, as he’s now stronger, his runs are more purposeful and full of energy, and his finishing isn’t too bad either.

Another key youngster will be last season’s signing of the season, Javier Hernandez. Called Chicharito by many, the qualities he poses as a striker are phenomenal. His pace is lightning, always on the shoulder of the last defender, the quick burst of speed is a defenders worst nightmare, as well as that, his finishing in front of goal is one of the best in the league, this was clearly evident when he totalled 20 goals last term. His composure in front of goal will be a key reason why he’ll play the big games, despite that; he looked out of his depth against Barcelona, like many others in last year’s squad.

As well as these youngsters, its evident players like Wayne Rooney and Nemanja Vidic will need to step up and nurture to upcoming talent. The mixture of youth as well as experience is an ingredient for success, something Ferguson breeds into his players. He’s build many sides in his time but now he faces his toughest challenge as a manager. The riches of City and the overall competitive nature of the league is different to what it once was, the current squad will have to learn quick but with the backing they have, this could lead to a new, successful era at Manchester United.

Thanks for reading,

Footylad.

"Not Quite City" Oh Shut Up

With Gameweek 2 now completed, it’s time to reflect on my beloved Manchester United’s home fixture against late starters Tottenham. Both clubs were missing key figures, United without Captain Nemanja Vidic and fellow centre back Rio Ferdinand, as well as several other key figures, United were left with a second string back four with inexperienced goalkeeper David de Gea leading from the back, providing many to believe they’ll be goals in the game, for both sides.

Tottenham weren’t exactly at full strength either, Luka Modric was left out of the side for his “head not being right” and other, slightly less important players, also not playing, leading to the like of Jake Livermore playing central midfield. Gareth Bale and Rafael Van der Vaart were the main attacking threats available and they needed to have played a near perfect game to get some points out of Old Trafford, something Tottenham haven’t done for a long time.

 

With these match reports, I’ve been told to not focus so much on the match itself so what I’ve decided to do is discuss individual performances, why’s that? Because I can pretty much guarantee you’ve already watched the game, so, me describing the key parts of the game step-by-step is just simply boring, so, I need to keep it opinionated.

Firstly, the first shock for me is with team selection. Again, I was proven wrong by Ferguson’s managerial ability but I was shocked that how he stuck with Cleverley and Anderson, I expected Carrick to start with possibly Anderson and early on in the game, it was evident that the United midfield was non-existent. Another surprise was sticking with local boy Danny Welbeck over ex-Spurs forward Dimitar Berbatov, who has clearly stepped down the pecking order.

In the early stages, the United defence was tested with the game seemingly stretched from the start. A point that no-one has seemed to make is De Gea’s saves from range. Tottenham didn’t have a proper clear cut chance but the shots they did have were dealt with surprising ease. His concentration was also good after being criticized for that in the previous week, as well as improving his issues, he also showed a far wider audience how good is distribution was, always setting up attacks from the back. An issue was the aerial ball late in the second half but overall, he’s performance improved dramatically.

Moving onto the defence, every player played their part with one shining out. Don’t get me wrong, Chris Smalling, Jonny Evans and Patrice Evra all played their part but I just want to talk about Phil Jones this time around. With a string of fantastic performances for Blackburn Rovers last year, keeping them up, it was no surprise he moved to a bigger club and what a debut he had. His anticipation was a key attribute to his game, breaking the play up, which has made many fans see his potential to fill in a defensive midfield role, but why? No need to. He’s playing well at centre back and no need to alter things when he’s playing well.

In the second half, Cleverley and Anderson did their jobs but someone I weren’t impressed with is Ashley Young. I say this due to the rare poorness of his corners. Him and Nani both can’t get it past the front man and with the power we possessed in Smalling and Jones, going short was always the wrong option and I feel we could of created far more chances if you just whip it in there, anything can happen.

Moving onto Tottenham, it’s clear a striker is needed. Defoe is a poacher that had nothing to poach; it was clear, without the Modric spark, players like Bale couldn’t get involved in the game, with Smalling doing an excellent job keeping him quiet. VdV had a clear target to embarrass de Gea which failed dramatically, annoying his teammates. The difference between that and Man United was there was no team spirit, when going one down there was no urgency, with United there’s a real team emphasis about them, Van der Vaart is just so selfish and, at times, seems to not care about the game, just his own performance.

A final note to take on the game is Javier Hernandez’s return, igniting the question of who to play up front against Arsenal. Quite frankly, against that back four, Mama Diouf could do a job but for me he has to stick with Welbeck, Hernandez is more of an impact player, and still isn’t fully fit.

That’s it from me.

Thanks for reading,

Footylad.

Score Predictions - Week Two

After week one being a disaster with me scoring negative points on the TalkSport predictor league, hopefully after realising how bad QPR are, I can at least hit positive marks this week. I’ve gone for some strange, slightly risky results again this week and we start with the Tyneside derby between Sunderland and Newcastle.

One of two early kick offs tomorrow, Sunderland’s performance at Anfield last week should inspire the team to a more than certain victory. Like last week, it’ll be interesting to see how the Sunderland new signings cope but with the home support behind them, I expect them to come out 2-1 winners against their closest rivals.

Then, we move onto one of the bigger fixtures of the season; Arsenal v Liverpool is a hotly contested game but both sides aren’t at full strength. Arsenal has lost several key figures and now Song and Gervinho are banned as well as Gibbs in particular becoming injured. Saying that, Liverpool had a mixed draw at home to Sunderland last week and it’s apparent the new signings are going to take time to gel. Captain Steven Gerrard will miss the game with Glen Johnson being a fitness doubt; I expect to see chances for both sides but a 1-1 draw at the Emirates.

Moving on to the three o’clock kick-offs, we start with Aston Villa v Blackburn. With Villa being at home and Blackburn having no control, over their drink and their side, I expect Villa to cruise control over Blackburn in a 2-0 win. Then, we move onto Everton v QPR. QPR may have been taken over bit they still haven’t brought in anyone in time, leaving Everton to really take control even though they haven’t played this season, 3-1 win to Everton.

Fellow newcomers Swansea need to get their first win and there’s no better opportunity than Wigan at home. Both being prime relegation contenders, these games could be a six-pointer when coming to May, a massive game for both sides. Roberto Martinez will be returning to his old side but I think Swansea is going to come out 2-0 winners. Chelsea v West Brom is the next game and there can be only one winner at Stamford Bridge. I expect a relentless onslaught from the Chelsea attack and unless Ben Foster has the game of his life, 4-0 Chelsea.

As well as the Saturday games, we have four on Sunday. We start off with the last of the newcomers, Norwich v Stoke. Stoke’s away record isn’t as prolific as the home form and with Norwich on the up; I see a surprising 3-1 victory. From all the games this weekend, I see this one being goals galore from both sides. Wolves then take on Fulham and again I favour the home side. Saying that, Fulham are a very strong side but due to the midweek Europa League game, I see Wolves taking this 2-1, due to their emphatic home form.

The last two games involve the two Manchester clubs. Firstly, City has a tough away game at Bolton where it’ll be their first test of the season. Even with a returning Tevez and a superstar in Aguero, the Cahill price tag might just rise a bit further as I predict a 1-0 home win.

Lastly, United play Tottenham at home. There’s no need getting into that as I’m a United fan so I’ll always predict a United win, 2-0 this time around.

That’s it for week two, thanks for reading,

Footylad.

De Gea: Potential - Part 2

The first part to ‘Potential’ series received a fantastic response and with the uproar of requests, I decided to do a shorter Part 2 today to finish my opinions on the early stages of De Gea’s career.  If you didn’t read Part 1, I explained in a analytical manner his individual performances and some of the mistakes he’s made. Also, how the mistakes he’s made haven’t necessarily been his fault and how he’s been scrutinized for something very minor that has been costless to Manchester United.

The inspiration to writing this came from two reasons. Firstly, after the City game I received a Facebook comment quoting “He’s f***ing S***” then, after the West Brom game I read an article (will leave the link at the end of blog) which really inspired me to get my points across in more than 140 characters and hopefully make the clueless fans understand rather than the neutral.

The way I’m going to describe who I’m aiming this is by comparing it to the riots. A question used by most is “All young people should do national service.” No, only a small sector of young people is like that, giving the stereotypical view that youngsters are all trouble makers. It’s the same with De Gea. A small sector of United fans have slated him on twitter etc and that gives the stereotypical  opinion that we’ve all  lost faith in De Gea, no we haven’t. Many United fans haven’t seen a different keeper than Van Der Sar and are quickly coming round to the fact it’s hard to play like Van Der Sar straight away and also Edwin had experience in English football with Fulham.

Now, how do the media affect things? Massively. The media guys are respected by some and I have my own small few reporters that I really listen to. I read an article by Alan Hansen on David De Gea, yes you heard me, Alan Hansen. He clearly isn’t going to right anything positive and basically claimed United players had lost faith in David. Let’s be honest Alan is the know as much as the “ITK” twitter accounts on Sneijder. He knows nothing but because it’s written in a national newspaper some people may believe him. I’ll move onto Martin Tyler, who I’ve lost a massive amount of respect for after his atrocious comments towards one of David’s saves.

It was shortly after Shane Long’s goal when Tchoyi swooped in quite frankly a cross which took David by surprise.  It looped over David who made a smart save and scooped it to safety. After a first glance, I thought it was a smart save and a good recovery from a piece of luck basically. Tyler described it as “awkward.” Why does he do that? Why does a commentator just make the situation worse by not giving him any deserved praise and just quite frankly be so negative. It’s not just Tyler, just using him as an example.

Now, here’s something that you’ll definitely agree with, how the media portray David to say Jordan Henderson. Now, for me, it’s country before club and I want to see English talent shine through. Now, after his extraordinary £20 million move to Liverpool, I thought they have someone with a real potential, just like David. The media have touted him for big things and I couldn’t see any negative press about him, I still can’t see them now. Why? I’m not being biased here, Jordan is crap. He’s over-rated to the core, I’ve never seen him play well, in the Under 21 Euro Championships he was our worst player and without our stellar defence, it would of been more embarrassing. A strength to his game is his passing, I’m sorry but David De Gea provided a better distribution that Jordan Henderson and he can’t even speak English. Another example, Sergio Aguero.

Sergio was outstanding yesterday, world class. Now, he’s set high expectations for himself, if he doesn’t perform in the next say five games, people will question his fee. Now, say Sergio is English, to make things easier call him Steve Aguero. Steve has scored two and made one in a half an hour spell against Swansea. He’s now touted as the best thing since Bobby Charlton. Because he’s English, he’ll get a larger period of time to prove himself, despite the fee, look at Andy Carroll. He cost £35 million and even with injuries, has only played to his fee in one game. Now, if Andy was foreign he’d of left the country by now because of the media he’d of received. David has received it after two games, and he’s even made some good saves in his short time which has deluded so many individuals.

That is it for me on the topic of David De Gea, I want to provide blogs with a slight less bias tone but for part one and two of this I was restricted to a more niche audience. So an apology goes out to the non Manchester United followers I have that have read this and thought, could he be any more bias? Trust me, I admire good football and when Liverpool shows that, I’ll be less bias. (Was a joke by the way.)

Now then, to my inspiration towards writing this blog.

http://www.rambleunited.com/2011/08/de-gea-give-it-time/ A fantastic article. I’d love one day to write to that standard.

Thanks for reading,

Footylad.

De Gea: Potential - Part 1

After the last blog receiving relatively good praise, I thought it was time to respond to the constructive feedback I received and talk about something that’ll really make my strong opinions shine through.

My blog was described of having “potential” by many and I feel that’s the operative word to describe Manchester United’s new goalkeeper David de Gea. David isn’t the complete package, somewhat how I would describe his predecessor Edwin Van Der Sar. Any knowledgeable Manchester United fan would know we would see mistakes from De Gea early on and the flak he’s received from particular sectors of the media, and the fans has been quite frankly crap.

I’m outraged in the stereotypical, clueless Manchester United fan that is denying David any chance in showing his variety of qualities because of two “mistakes” that haven’t even cost us a game. I’ll be the first to admit I hadn’t seen him play that much so I took the time to research our new goalkeeper to try and get a better understanding on what we’re expected to see from him. I found zero negative comments with Iker Casillas describing him as the “future.” When was the last time we had the Spanish number one playing in the Premier League? Well, that’s what David offers.

Taking a more analytical view, I’ll go back to his first appearance against MLS opposition Chicago Fire. David played ninety minutes that game and showed many of his strengths. I’ve seen many say his shot-stopping is poor and I feel that’s complete rubbish, his reflexes seem to be one his more admirable features to his game and in particular the way he uses his feet, something I’ve not seen from any other keeper. In that game he made several quality saves in the soaring heat, but the language barrier was an obvious, expected issue.

Moving forward to the City game, the Chicago Fire goal was as identical to the Lescott header. The problem is with the language barrier is when the ball gets in-between David and the defender. With the ball coming in at such pace, a shout and a quick decision have to be made. Some say David was at fault for the goal, he wasn’t. With the obvious difficulties he faces, Vidic or Rio has to take control of the loose ball and they didn’t, they were split open with the pass and David had no chance of saving it, despite the poor media coverage and opinions they’re making towards him.

Then, the Dzeko goal. This for me is the complete proof on how much commentators and media ‘jump on the bandwagon’ and ‘shift the blame.’ I am going to defend David for this and split the blame to his defence with the lack of closing down. Firstly, the midfield was non-existent and the space they gave him was wrong, where was Michael Carrick or someone tracking back to close him down? Then, Rio and Vidic gave him so much time, yes it was down the middle of the goal but did you expect him to shoot? I didn’t.

Maybe he should have got down quicker but you can’t put the blame on the easy target, some of the figureheads of the United side were to blame for that goal. Most recently, we have the West Brom incident. At real time speed, I’ll admit what is he doing but Gary Neville made a very poinient  point in the lack of closing down Shane Long received, again an issue with the Dzeko goal. Chris Smalling is a natural centre back but he should still have done his research that Shane long loves to cut in and get half a yard. Gary, possibly the most experienced full back we’ve ever produced, said that Chris should have sent him down the line, and who’s to disagree with Gary Neville? Another factor with the goal is the amount of bodies in David’s way. Look at our second goal, its hit two bodies and gone in, that could have easily happened with the Long goal. De Gea reacts late and perhaps a lack of concentration but he’s new to the surroundings and the league, he probably wanting someone to go attack Long and close him down but he can’t with the language barrier, the centre back has to now take control of all them situations for the time being and take a bit more flack and not let De Gea take all the ‘hate.’

Finally, I’m going to take you back to the Barca game. How good was David? He, unlike Edwin knew how to play against Barca. His aggressive stance blocked out any type of through ball Iniesta and Thiago offered and was in full control and felt comfortable with the lack of pressure he had. Yes, Thiago scored but it was a stunner and no keeper would have saved that.

This is enough for part one and in part two I’ll talk about how the media will eventually affect David’s performance if this continues. Also, how some fans should be ashamed of themselves.

Thanks for reading,

Footylad.

Reid It and Weep - West Brom vs Manchester United

After the first match report of the season provided nothing but a brief build up and description of a slap, I was slightly more optimistic going into reporting the West Brom vs Manchester United game at The Hawthorns. With United edging out 2-1 winners last year, it was a surprise the result was the same this time around with United seemingly have a much stronger line-up than last time.

I will warn you; this will have a slight biased tinge to it. It’s something I promised I wouldn’t get sucked into but with the hate David de Gea has received from one small sector of United fans on my twitter timeline, I’m five blogs in and one rant is due. But before that happens, let’s kick-off with the match.

Man United started stronger with the attacking empathises of the starting eleven showing early on. Within the first ten minutes, West Brom was pegged back into their own half, with only a corner or two to be proud of. Scoring on top is key and United showed how to do it, unlike Chelsea earlier in the day. A free flowing move lead up to Ashley Young feeding the ball into Wayne Rooney, which was similar to his goal against West Ham, with a near perfect first touch and strike from just outside of the box with his left.

The fifteen pass move was a glorious start to the champions’ season but like all United seasons, it’s not so straightforward. New goalkeeper David de Gea showed his frailties from dealing with crosses and nerves were apparent with the Spanish under-21 international. This was shown again when West Brom equalised with a tame Shane Long effort somehow trickling underneath de Gea. No excuses.

West Brom then kicked on in the last ten minutes of the first half; thankfully the defence did their job. De Gea did make a smart save to Paul Scharner just before the equalizer but was only tested with aerial crosses from then on in. One of them crosses was dealt with accordingly after recovering from a poor position due to the poorness of the cross, shame Martin Taylor had already jumped on the de Gea bandwagon describing it as “awkward.”

Manchester United didn’t kick start at the start of the second half and to their horror, Rio Ferdinand (out for six weeks) and fellow centre back Nemanja Vidic (out for two weeks) had to go off injured leaving the job to Jonny Evans and new signing Phil Jones to lead from the back. With a youthful outfit second half, with a average age of around 23, Young was the operative word going into the last ten minutes.

Ashley Young, another new signing, broke down the left hand side all game and took the most of his chance, beating one and whipping a low devilish ball which caused havoc to Steven Reid, who was unlucky to be on the end of it, which sharply ended up in the back of the net.

United closed the game out well and looked comfortable absorbing the West Brom pressure. Some could say United were lucky but with the five minute spell which led to 90% possession and the overall slickness of the attacking threat, United ran out deserved winners. Shane Long had a fantastic debut for West Brom and the Albion fans shouldn’t be downhearted with their players display.

An obvious defender is needed for Albion and you get the feeling they’ll concede sloppy goals. We now move onto Manchester City vs Swansea tomorrow, with City being touted as easy winners.

Referee: Mike Jones – 5/10. Made some poor decisions for both sides and showed no consistency with his booking policy. Let West Brom get away with their animalistic approach to hustling de Gea unnecessarily in the second half which left the Spaniard on the floor in some pain.  

Thanks for reading,

Footylad.

Why Didn't You Slap Him Harder? - Newcastle vs Arsenal Match Report

Those six words were ringing around my living room, when the second half incident between Gervinho and Joey Barton occurred. The first match report of the new season comes at St James Park with the late kick off game between Newcastle and Arsenal. After gathering several other people’s opinions on the game, I get a real insight that some people aren’t necessarily taking the positives out of the game, especially Arsenal fans.

“Spend the F***ing money” was also a chant rang around the ground, quite a fitting message for both sides, and in the early exchanges, both sides need to listen to that chant. The lack of real tempo was apparent with Arsenal dominating possession, eighteen yards from goal. In the two hundred and nine clear passes within the first 20 minutes, there was no clear cut chance.

In retrospect, I still can’t think of a clear cut chance now. The game was dominated in the middle of the park with only Gervinho providing some width, to the groan of Arsenal fans when he didn’t make the most of the fantastic position he’d found himself in. The final ball was awful for Arsenal and with yes, dare I say, Cesc Fabregas the whole fluidity of the play was non-existent.

As the first half went on, Newcastle still couldn’t get involved with the tactics all wrong. Playing Barton out wide meant he couldn’t influence the game in the way he wanted to, and with Cabaye in the middle, still adapting to the quick Premier League pace, the lack of creativity shone throughout the team. To add a more positive note to the report, Coloccini made several vital interceptions and overall, led from the back.

His leadership was the only positive I can make from the first half as literally; it was very, very boring. After being taken off before the start of the second half, Demba Ba really did disappoint me. Alongside Ameobi up front, the duo clearly need more minutes behind their belt as Ameobi, in particular, spent more time on the ground than on his feet.

I was slightly more optimistic going into the second half as the game started to stretch, still leading to no clear cut chances, just a few snap shots. Gabriel Obertan came on for Ba and made an impact when out running Sagna to a ball, who’s no slouch as well as feeding the ball into Cabaye with a fluorescent flick into his path, only to be treated with a scuffed effort.

Arsenal still dominated the play with Alex Song providing the midfield assurance that he provides. Again, no chances which was frustrating to watch apart from the one exception when Theo Walcott cut inside from the left and shot straight into Tim Krul, who gathered at the second attempt. Then, the incident.

With Gervinho diving inside the box, Barton’s reaction sparked horrific scenes, leaving Barton laying on the floor in Didier Drogba style and Gervinho off the pitch for a ‘slap’ leading the Arsenal fans and players into disarray. With several players in the book, the ref took a tough stance on the game but the leniency towards Barton’s reaction is inexcusable with both deserving to see red. The game ended fittingly with an Arsenal counter attack with what missing? The final ball.

Newcastle will have the happier set of fans but Arsenal have to take some positives, there wasn’t any defensive errors with Vermaelen reinstating his claim as their number one centre back. I hope you’ve had a great start to your footbaling weekend with the proper football starting tomorrow.

Thanks for reading,

Footylad.

Score Predictions - Week One

With the birth of the new Premier League season only a day away, I thought it was time to introduce a weekly feature to the blog, score predictions. Each week I’ll try and predict the score of the Premier League fixtures (try being the appropriate word) and hopefully give my thoughts on that particular week of football. This blog won’t necessarily be a 1000 word essay but will be a focal point for discussion on my twitter page.

We start off with the Saturday 3pm kick-offs as there is no morning game, Newcastle v Arsenal is the evening game live on ESPN and we will get to that later. I’ll try and do a brief, short paragraph on each fixture so here we go; the first game will be Blackburn Rovers vs Wolverhampton Wanders at Ewood Park.

After watching the Asia Trophy, it was clear Blackburn will have a difficult season after losing Phil Jones, the heartbeat of the back four alongside Christopher Samba. With money to spend, the new additions they’ve brought in might not live up to the Champions League expectations the owners require, but you get the feeling it’ll be a nervy season for Rovers fans. Wolves on the other hand have improved their back four with new boy Roger Johnson leading the line, I feel if they can withstand the “big boot” that Blackburn offer into the box, they’ll run away with a 2-1 victory with Kevin Doyle likely to be fit.

Moving onto Fulham vs Aston Villa, I see a surprise 2-0 away win. This may be a shock result with the new signings Villa have brought in, I see them shining at the Cottage. With predictions I like to take risks so for this game, I am. N’Zogbia to show he’s worth the money will be all important for the Villa fans; also, Darren Bent will need to play after suffering from a shoulder injury. The talisman will be the key to any type of Villa success.

Liverpool vs Sunderland is our next destination and there’s only one winner here under the new ‘King Kenny revolution.’ Jordan Henderson will want to prove his point in front of his former club as well as new signing Jose Enrique and Andy Carroll who will also know the importance of beating Sunderland, being a former Newcastle player. Who’ll Kenny pick be a interesting debate with so many central midfield options. With Liverpool’s dodgy pre-season defence I see Sunderland nicking a consolation game but overall 3-1 comfortable homes win for Liverpool.

Let’s discuss the next two games briefly; Wigan vs Norwich and QPR vs Bolton, both featuring newly promoted sides. With Wigan needing to learn their lessons from an embarrassing thrashing from Blackpool at the start of last season, Norwich will provide stiff opposition but I can see them scrapping a 1-0 win. Moving onto QPR, I see these being the only promoted side winning this week. Keeping Taarabt will be key to their season and maybe he can show his talents in front of a home crowd, a 2-0 win for QPR with the result not necessarily reflecting the game.

Our final Saturday fixture is Newcastle vs Arsenal, I’ve changed my prediction since the departure of Cesc Fabregas and and Samir Nasri from the squad (both expected to leave) which gives Newcastle much more of a chance. With more French players expected to play than any other nation, there should be a continental feeling to the game. It’ll be interesting to see all these Newcastle new signings and how they’ll play this year, will be a massive test for the Toon but with home advantage, a 2-1 win.

Now onto the “Super Sunday.” Firstly we have Stoke City vs Chelsea followed by Manchester United vs West Brom. There are many doubts for the Chelsea side including Luiz and Lampard + Sturridge and Lukaku not being able to play, the squad won’t be at full strength. Even though they have an impeccable record against Stoke, I see the Britannia rocking as it always does, hopefully roaring Stoke on to a 1-0 win. Then, moving onto my beloved Manchester United. I put this very risky prediction in a convincing 3-0 win, maybe that score line may be a bit over the top but with the quality we posses; I see United winning with ease.

The final game of the week is Manchester City vs Swansea, keeping this short and sweet to not upset the Swansea fans but the prospect you face is near impossible. Without Tevez or Aguero, they still will have a array of top talent to pick from, easing them to a 4-1 win.

Thanks for reading,

Footylad.

Gabriel Obertan - Gone But Quickly Forgotten

The title says it all for the ex Manchester United winger after his recent 5 year deal move to Newcastle. When a player leaves a club you can normally think of five memories about the specific player, something Gabriel Obertan can’t offer. With hardly any chances to shine, the move was inevitable. The only major surprise being that Gabriel stayed in the country, which gives a good indication he wants to show the world that can ‘hack it’ in the best league in the world.

Moving to Man United for £3 million in 2009, the move was clearly being one for the future. Now still only 22, the acquisition of former Aston Villa winger Ashley Young is another reason which has forced Obertan out, as he ever slipped down the list. Scoring only one goal (a cracking one in his defence) in 15 appearances, the lack of opportunity is clearly apparent. Going back to his only goal, in Turkey against Bursaspor, was clearly a moment where you knew why Ferguson signed him. A stunning strike from outside of the box showed his potential, something Newcastle fans will hopefully see in abundance this season.

This season we have seen Obertan a few times, with many positive performances. His pace didn’t seem affected in the soaring heat of Chicago and even got on the score sheet in the 7-0 win at Seattle. As well as scoring, Obertan also chipped in with a few assists, a valuable asset as a winger. As a Manchester United fan I, as well as others wish the best of luck to Gabriel who simply wasn’t to a United standard.

Moving onto the present, his move to Newcastle United for again, £3 million. After describing Newcastle as a “big club,” he’s already won the fans over on that respect, surely? (it’s not a big club; it’s just got a big support.) This move can only be good for his career as it’s clearly he now as a burning desire to “prove a point,” after much of the media describing the Frenchmen as a “flop.”

So, what can Newcastle fans expect from Gabriel? This is something, to a certain degree; I can’t answer fully as I’m not a massive follower of the Manchester United reserve team, where Obertan played most of his football. Firstly, with someone wanting to prove his point you get the impression Gabriel will give 100% every game, something Newcastle fans like with Jonas on the other wing. His pace is his main attribute but he isn’t much of a crosser, expect a few step-overs then to cut inside. He’s very hit and miss and at times you’ll get frustrated with Gabriel as you know there’s about him.

To briefly conclude, Gabriel is a raw talent that needs fine tuning. A 5 year deal is a risk to a certain degree but I hope Obertan rejuvenates his career at the Toon as I’m sure the fantastic support will get behind him.

Thanks for reading,

Footylad.

2011/2012 Season - Pre Thoughts.

 

With a week till the season starts and with a whole new set of followers, I decided to show you where the season will go in the view of my twitter; blogs will be a key feature, not just the same old biased 140 character opinions on Manchester United. After watching the Community Shield which included the two main title contenders; Manchester United and Manchester City gave us a clear indication on how the unpredictable season will go with both sides showing their qualities. So, where to start?

The best place to start is who will win the Premiership? In my opinion, there are three main contenders. Nineteen time champions Manchester United will have to defend their title with noisy neighbours Man City being closely behind. As well as the two main Manchester clubs, Chelsea, under new management, will hope to put a spanner in the works with trying to win their title back after losing out to the Red Devils last season. Being such a close run thing, the key to winning the title is consistency, especially against the smaller teams. This was proved last season when current champions Manchester United won through there incredible home form, only dropping points as well as catches, against West Brom. Against that, Manchester United’s away form was dreadful, something that will have to be corrected this term. As well as not dropping points at home and losing to the smaller teams, a little bit of luck is involved. Chelsea hasn’t had the best of luck with injuries already with Michael Essien picking up a serious knee injury.

United have spent well with the signings of David de Gea, Phil Jones and current England international Ashley Young. This moves us to signings of the season (so far.) I say so far as we all know the deadline is the 31^st August, when all the late deals are done. With already over £250 million spent by Premier League clubs, there are many contenders for my prediction for signing of the season. For this reason, I’ll do one for each position. Starting off with the Goalkeeper, there’s only one choice for me. Shay Given. After watching the Asia Trophy, you could see Aston Villa have bought well with the acquisition of the Irish international. His experience and agility are the key attributes into leading Villa into a new era. Moving onto the defenders, keeping the blog slightly biased I’m going to go with John O’Shea. After being so successful with Manchester United, the versatile full back will be able to show his leadership qualities and again, like Shay Given, be able to send his new club in a different direction.

Moving onto the midfield, I feel there will be plenty of movement in this position as most of the sagas are situated around the need for the playmaker. With Fabregas, Nasri, Modric and Sneijder all rumoured to leave their current clubs for big money. Baring that in mind, I’ve gone for more of a wildcard option in Seb Larsson at Sunderland. Many would have expected me to go Ashley Young but I feel getting him on a free, Seb can be a fantastic player and maybe can show it at a better club, with better players. (Expecting some hate for that prediction.)

We now move onto the strikers, again I’ve not gone for an obvious choice. I’ve gone for Gervinho. After watching glimpses of him pre-season, I feel he could do great for Arsenal, shame for all Arsenal fans is that he isn’t a defender, could probably do a better job than their current crop of defensive “talent.” Other than scoring goals, it’s also apparent that he can chip in with a few assists as a striker, something I like.

This is going to be first of many blogs (hopefully) and I hope some of you take some time and read it. I will be mostly reporting matches etc as transfers aren’t really my thing. I tend to actually focus on the football itself and not the circus that involves the beautiful game.

Thanks for reading,

Footylad.