Foolishmoose - I have a tough one for you. Since the majority of my TV time is spent watching FSC, Setanta, GOL and ESPN Soccer programming, and with to my knowledge only ESPN carrying HD, but the minimum amount of soccer programming, my question is, do you have any inside info on when FSC may go HD?
Bobby – Sorry, I do not have a clue what is planned. What’s more I am not looking forward to that day. My imperfections will show up!!!
JayAlves – It’s going to be an interesting transfer season. Kudos to Spurs for firing the first shot and setting the tone as the season isn't even over and teams are going to have to line up their targets quicker or be left in the cold.
Bobby – I find it interesting that the move was made before the European Championships. A good summer tournament would have boosted the price considerably you would have thought.
RonW - Next year I believe they're increasing the number of substitutes who can suit up in the EPL... what effect do you think it will have on the games(if any, besides being better for the big spending/squad teams)?
Bobby – As long as the number that can be used sticks at three I really can’t see how will make much of an impact. Coaches who have been tempted not to name a goalkeeper will no longer have an excuse. Maybe the Premiership missed an opportunity to encourage a little bit more youth development by insisting that at least two of the seven named substitutes be under-21.
Gregz - 1. Bobby, what do you think of Fernando Gago? In recent weeks he has been putting on some remarkable performances for Real Madrid 2. Lots have been said about Hatem Ben Arfa maybe going to Arsenal. If it were to happen do U think he would make it? I'm thinking he is a bit light weight and every summer Arsenal's midfield players get smaller.
Bobby – 1. I have not watched Real Madrid the last two weekends so I can’t really comment on Gago’s recent performances. From what I have seen of him previously I would have said his performances have been underwhelming.
2. How many times has Arsenal been linked with a player they have actually signed? Eduardo, Adebayor, Rosicky, Hleb, Sango? I don’t remember of any of these being on the radar screen prior to signing so I would not put too much reliance on reports of Arsenal’s supposed transfer targets until a deal is actually done.
As for being light weight – he’s played as a striker (and on the left side) so he can’t be that soft can he? As for summer transfer targets I’ll throw out the name of Luis Suarez as someone one of the big clubs might move for this summer.
Thierry_Henry - I don't know if you watched Liverpool v. Birmingham on the weekend. But the 2nd Birmingham goal should never have counted. Jahidi was in between the wall and the goal keeper wanting to make it difficult for the keeper to view where the ball is headed. In that case I think he was interfering with play, even if the free kick went right in. Therefore he was offside. What's your take on it?
Bobby – I did watch the game and the referee’s decision was correct. First of all you have to consider the meaning of “interfering” and the regulations provide a clear definition. In terms of interfering with play a player is judged as such if he plays or touches the ball “passed or touched by a team-mate”. As Jahidi did not receive the ball then he cannot have been interfering with play.
Then it is a case of whether or not he was interfering with an opponent. “Interfering with an opponent means preventing an opponent from playing or being able to play the ball by clearly obstructing the opponent’s line of vision or movements or making a gesture or movement which, in the opinion of the referee, deceives or distracts an opponent.”
Larsson hit the ball from well outside the penalty box. Reina’s view of Larsson was never hindered or obstructed – you can see that clearly from the camera view from behind the net. The Birmingham player didn’t make a gesture or movement. The goal was rightfully given.
Jahmikes - 1. I think Arsenal's main weak spot is defense and have my opinions, can you give an analysis of our starting defenders and the bench ones, mine is we have a good starting 4 but on the bench we look awful sparse from Traore who was underutilized.
2. Do you think the recall of Vela will become Wenger's answer to his wing problems? I see him and Walcott becoming our version of Nani and Ronaldo.
3. I felt that Torres should have received player of the year due to the many external and internal challenges he faced in his season. Ronaldo's ability is without question but being in a stable team made it much easier for him to shine, wouldn’t you agree?
4. What’s your verdict for tomorrow? I think Ferguson is playing a risky game. He used similar tactics against Roma in the semi's and was able to go through because Roma had no real strike force up front to capitalize on their attacks, Barcelona is a team built to score goals, and if Ferguson plays an open game they will score, if he plays defense it will be a stale mate with Barca going through.
Bobby – 1. Biggest problem is dealing with crosses and high balls down the middle. I don’t see much wrong at full back except perhaps trying to cut down on the balls getting into the box. I don’t see the problem as a lack of depth if your central two are not dominant enough. Fix the first problem before you consider depth.
2. What wing problem and with the exception of Marc Overmars when has Arsène Wenger ever played wingers? Arsenal looks to get width from full backs not wingers. Pinning your hopes on a 19 year-old who has not kicked a ball in English football sounds desperate to me. There is nothing to indicate that Wenger is suddenly going to dump his system to incorporate two rampaging teenage wingers. (I’m not even convinced that Vela and Walcott are going to be wingers in the long-term.)
3. No I wouldn’t agree. The award is supposed to go the best player not the best player in an on-going transatlantic soap opera.
4. I have looked into the crystal ball and I can see United winning 1-0 with Paul Scholes scoring a scorching goal around the 14th minute after Zambrotta makes a hash of a pass. As for Barcelona being built to score goals – this version must have been built on a Monday after a boozy weekend.
LGB -1. Which team (in any top league) has been the most disappointing this season? 2. Do you believe Mourinho will end up in Barca, Madrid or Milan (blue or red)? 3. What do you make of Ballack and Drogba's on-the-field spat? Not much has been made of it because of United's antics and, of course, Chelsea won but is this kind of competitive edge what you need in a game like this, especially at such a crucial time? 4. What do you make of seedings in tournaments such as World Cup, Euro Championships and Euro Cup? Worth it or worthless? 5. How many goals do you see Liverpool needing to score at the Bridge for them to progress? How many for Barca at OT? 6. Final question: Why in the world is the PFA player of the year award handed out before the season is over?
Bobby –1. Barcelona.
2. Yes……or some other team.
3. I thought it was very funny. It was playground stuff.
4. It makes sense to me for a number of reasons. There are also different sort of seedings – there is rankings and also the system that makes sure you don’t draw three CONCACAF teams in the same World Cup Final group.
5. Two for Liverpool. And one for Barcelona!!!!
6. I don’t know and neither do I know why the voting takes place around February.
Jahmikes - How many goals has Arsenal conceded from set plays? And what’s their rank in this statistic?
Bobby – Arsenal 11 of 31. I don’t know how they rank but here are the others from the top six. Aston Villa 14/47; Chelsea 11/25; Everton 12/31; Liverpool 18/27; Manchester United 6/21.
ReggaeGunner - Who's been the best RB for the 07/08 season throughout Europe? I've seen quite a lot of matches still trying to come to a final conclusion.
Bobby – How about Maicon?
Redfan4ever – 1. As the season draws to a close and we all reflect on what has been, I was a wondering what for you have been the best, say top three, highlights of season from the various leagues (not cups) you watch around the world? 2. Norman Hunter was related to Ron Harris and Tommy Smith in some weird way was he not?
Bobby – 1. I will go with these three. Chelsea and Spurs sharing 8 goals in the Premiership. Fiorentina’s 3-2 win over Juventus. Villarreal’s 4-3 away win against Atletico Madrid.
2. Chiseled from the same piece of granite.
Redfan4ever – 1. If Chelsea fork out 55 million for Kaka, who would you see them using as a holding midfielder? 2. Also, do you think they would be able keep Lampard and Ballack happy if Kaka arrives? 3. Do you think Drogba is on the way out this summer especially after his temperamental attitude with Ballack over a free kick and his general demeanor against the Mancs last weekend? I do not think he is happy at all.
Bobby – 1. The same one they were going to use anyway – Mikel.
2. Neither appears to have been particularly happy since Ballack arrived so adding Kaka to mix will not improve the situation.
3. Drogba has been unhappy since Mourinho left so I would not read too much into the Drogba/Ballack tantrums as being some sort of turning point.
LGB - I like the offside rule that is going on right now. If we go back to the other way then we'll get goals like Roy Keane's getting ruled out in the 99 FA Cup semifinal.
Keep the rule the same as it is now. I like the fact that goalies can be "distracted". They are protected way too much as it is.
Bobby - You make a good point. Confusing a keeper is not the same as distracting him.
AlbertaGooner – Who was your team of the season?
Bobby – I’ll wait for the post season to list mine I think.
thewobengonboy - Recently Martin Samuel asked the punters to put forward selection recommendations for Fabio Capello. I was slightly surprised that no one went to bat for Tom Huddlestone. I have seen performances where, on his day, he looks like a poor man's Andrea Pirlo with his range of passing, and seems worthy of a look in an England squad where Beckham is clearly past his best. How do you rate him? Additionally, has Juande Ramos done him any favors by trying him out in defense?
Bobby – He has a great touch and is a very good passer of the ball. His lack of pace and mobility is a problem and that would be a bigger problem at the international level. Huddlestone played a good number of games at Derby in central defense before he moved to Spurs and it might well become his accepted position.
Thierry_Henry - 1 - Given the British malaise of not finishing project in timely manner, i.e.: Wembley stadium, London airport terminal death row, sorry, Heathrow... are you surprised on how smooth the construction of the Emirates stadium went?
2 - Do you think Tottenham Hotspurs will avoid relegation next season?
Bobby – 1. Amazed. Just wait for the Daddy of them all – the 2012 Summer Olympics. It will make the costs overruns for Montreal 1976 look like petty cash. 2. Yes – along with Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Everton, Portsmouth, Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle United…….
Roseboy64 - Eriksson to be sacked.....What are your opinions?
Bobby – Thirteen points up on last season’s position with two games left - difficult to justify him being fired. Only explanation is Sven becoming another victim of an egomaniac owner.
No doubt Sven will walk away with another big cheque and he does have his new TV career to fall back on this time. However, I think he does have to work on his camera presence – he seems a bit “wooden” – almost puppet-like - at times.
Ringo - Will Hamilton be allowed to play home games at home next season? I see their ground holds 5,400 will that be enough to keep the SPL happy?
Bobby – They have a Field turf artificial surface at the moment and it is being replaced this summer with under soil heating and a proper grass surface. I don’t know what the situation is with the capacity but my understanding is that the SPL has signed off on Hamilton’s plans.
MasMaz - When do we get your team of the season?
Bobby – At the end of the season and probably with a twist.
Thierry_Henry - Is Rijkaard done? He did not show any desire to win today. Starting Henry on the bench was fatal from what I believe. What's your take?
Bobby – His time was up well before today. He has come to the end of the normal life-cycle of a manager.
Zuco2 -Looking at the recent "achievement" of Zenit in the UEFA cup, does it mean that the Russian League is perhaps a stronger league then we might think?
Bobby – It depends on who “we” are. When CSKA Moscow was on route to their UEFA Cup win of 2005 I suggested that Russian clubs would soon be making their mark in Champions League.
To date that hasn’t happened so from my perspective the Russian teams have been disappointing over the last three seasons in Europe. There is money behind the teams and they have brought in some excellent talent. At the moment they are punching below their weight.
I can only guess that the timing of this story (and the others being carried in other papers) and the Champions League semi-final is just a coincidence.
Here is one for craigy_f. After his posts over the last couple of weeks I now know what the “f” stands for.
An interesting article on the much-traveled Christian Vieri.
Simon Kuper with a bit of a different look at Barcelona.
There have been more than a few articles written after Arsenal’s recent
slump in the Premiership and their exit from the Champions League to Liverpool.
The themes are common, Arsene Wenger should have strengthened the squad during
the January transfer window (as if signing players comes with any sort of
success guarantee); Arsenal needs to rebuild; too young; too old in the case of
Gilberto; “poor me” ala Jens Lehmann.
But how many of these writers, pundits and bloggers picked Arsenal to win
the Premiership this season or even to finish in the top three? My memory of
last August is that a lot of them – even a few Arsenal fans – were looking at a
fourth place Premiership finish at best.
A good number were suggesting that in the wake of Thierry Henry’s
departure for Barcelona that 5th place might even be a more
realistic target. A good run in the Champions League and beating the reigning
European Champions along the way? Not even on the radar.
So how can a team that was so widely dismissed just eight months ago overachieve
and still be considered a failure? The fact of the matter is that Arsenal have
become victim of rising expectations rather than of under achievement. What if
instead of starting the season undefeated in 15 games they had started
disappointingly like Liverpool or even Chelsea and then hit a winning streak
that took them up to third place in the Premiership? We would be inundated by articles fawning
over this Arsenal side as one on the rise and the team to watch next season.
What about the Champions League you say? Liverpool won but the two legs
largely hinged on two penalty decisions that both went Liverpool’s way. Winning
and losing at the top level often sits precariously on a knife edge and in
these two situations the breaks went Liverpool’s way. And sometime in the
future they won’t – as has happened in the past (Chelsea penalty at Anfield in
October anybody?).
But that doesn’t seem to matter to those prone to knee jerk reactions and
with a proclivity to throw a whole nursery class out with the bath water let
alone just one child. With five games to go Arsenal are favourites to finish
above Liverpool in the Premiership and could still finish second ahead of
Chelsea – or even Manchester United.
Given that Liverpool or Chelsea is going to be knocked out at the
semi-final stage of the Champions League and both were knocked out of the FA Cup by Barnsley, can we
expect to read articles about the need for Liverpool or Chelsea to rebuild
their sides?
After all, if Arsenal finishes above them and needs to start over then
why not other teams who finish below them? With five Premiership games left
Arsenal have already gained more points than last season, have a much improved
away record and progressed further in the Champions League than twelve months
ago. The team is younger than their main rivals. What’s more Wenger now knows
for sure what his younger players are capable of – they have been given a
chance. Some have passed examination and a few have come up short.
The short comings of the current Arsenal squad have been made clear but
it is a side that is far more likely to get better than one that might slip
into reverse gear. It does need selective strengthening but it is no time for
lemming-style talk of dumping players and starting all over again. The last flock went over a cliff at the end
of the 2003 season and look what they missed.
It is midnight in Baltimore and I have a ridiculously early flight tomorrow morning. The weekend preview is truncated for that reason.
There are a number of questions that have been posted that I cannot answer given time constraints. I try to keep up and contribute during the week but the bottom line is that the only questions that I can guarantee you an answer to are the ones posted on Speakers' Corner on Monday.
Ian Plenderleith on the debate over whether or US players should or should not head overseas.
A man who went on to make his mark in international sport remembers Tommy Taylor who lost his life in the Munich air disaster.
Saturday will mark the 25th anniversary of the death of Garrincha. Here is some you tube video of him.
The Newcastle vs. Bolton game has taken on a great more relevance with the eturn of wee Kev. Liverpool and Aston Villa could be a pivotal clash for these teams.
In Spain the Madrid derby takes pride of place. An Atletico win or even a draw will provide a boost as the second half of the season gets underway while it would also provide an opportunity for Barcelona to close the present seven-point gap.
The top Italian game is Udinse hosting Milan. The 5-2 win over Napoli has invigerated Milan fans and with Udinese one of theams positioned to push for a top four place the stage is set for an excellent match.
Don’t mention anything about the romance of the FA Cup to Huddersfield Town manager Andy Ritchie.
An opportunity for our Liverpool fans to point out why Scott Murray is wrong.
For those looking to get right into the African Cup of Nations the All Soccer Africa website has a Nations Cup fantasy league feature. The site also has country-by-country previews and squad lists and it looks to be going all out to cover the 2008 edition.
It’s the third round of the FA Cup this weekend and this is where the big teams get involved. Here is a rundown of a few Championship vs. Premiership games followed by predictions. I don’t do weekly league predictions but I thought it might be interesting to follow the Cup from the third round on. If you want to give it a go then post your predictions (eventual winners only count no draws) and keep score – it’s on the honour system right through to the final in May.
Ipswich Town v Portsmouth These two met in the third round two years ago and Portsmouth won 1-0. This time we have a side with a fantastic home record (Ipswich) against Portsmouth who have won eight of twelve Premiership away games this season. Former Southampton midfielder Jim Magilton has Ipswich unbeaten at home in the Championship with eleven wins from thirteen matches and scoring 33 goals and only conceding 7. Contrast that with an away record on no wins, four draws and nine losses and you can see why it is a case of “no place like home” for Ipswich. It is not often you come across a team that simultaneously hold s the best home record and worst away record in a league. Ipswich currently sits 6th in the fizzy-pop Championship and beat league leaders West Brom 2-0 on Wednesday. Former Canadian captain Jason De Vos scored.
Bristol City v Middlesbrough Former Yeovil and Latvia manager (how is that for an exotic career) Gary Johnson has Bristol City third in the Championship and with only one loss in their last nine league games. This tie brings together two teams that needed penalty kicks to separate them last season in the 4th round – Boro eventually winning. Neither club has ever won the FA Cup but both have been runners up – Bristol City 99 years ago and Boro in 1997. Boro will be without Woodgate who is suspended and Robert Huth (remember him?) might get the call. Huth missed the first four months of this season before finally returning from injury at the start of last month.
Stoke City v Newcastle United With only one point out of a possible 12 over the holiday period and Joey Barton seemingly intent on starring in Mean Machine 2 things are bleaker than ever for Sam Allardyce and Newcastle supporters. A push for a European spot would require a monumental effort especially given Newcastle’s January schedule. They have Manchester City h, Manchester United h and a, Arsenal a, Aston Villa a, and the other two games are against Bolton and Middlesbrough at St. James’ Park.
Despite pronouncements from owner Mike Ashley that he is not currently looking for a new boss it is clear that it all could change very quickly. But the FA Cup does offer an escape route and a run deep into the competition might be enough to salvage this season. However, Newcastle have not been given an easy task in the third round. They face a Stoke City side that is currently in fourth place in the Championship as well as knowing a thing or two about managerial turnover.
Regarded as the second oldest football club in the world Stoke in their first 103 years had 16 managers. In the last 30 years they have gone through 24 and have averaged a manager a year since 1991. Tony Pulis returned for his second stint in charge in 2006 and engineered a solid late run of results that saw Stoke finish just outside the promotion play-off spots.
Pulis carries a reputation as a no nonsense boss and has a few Premiership players in his squad. Former Southampton striker Ricardo Fuller is Stoke’s leading scorer with 11 and former Sunderland player Liam Lawrence has 8 goals so far. Steve Simonsen was once an expensive teenage signing from Tranmere for Everton but he now keeps goal for Stoke. Dominic Matteo (former Leeds and Liverpool) and Salif Diao (Liverpool) are other recognizable names. Stoke rarely blow teams away and vice versa so Newcastle are going to be in for a tough time of it.
Chelsea v Queens Park Rangers This is the seventh successive time that FA Cup holders Chelsea have been drawn at home in the FA Cup. Their opponents this time might as well be called “Mini-Chelsea”. With Chelsea backed by Abramovich’s billions, Queens Park Rangers have the financial clout of the world’s 5th richest man (Lakshi Mittal owns 20% of the club) as well as Formula One’s Flavio Briatore and Bernie Ecclestone. Former Napoli and Siena manager Luigi De Canio was appointed QPR boss in late October after John Gregory was sacked and has been given money to spend – and potentially there is lots more of it.
From his initial dealings the focus appears to be to generally upgrade the team rather blowing money on Premiership calibre players right from the off. One loss in the last seven league games has helped move QPR out of the relegation zone and it looks as if the ownership group is opting to build for long term success rather than risking a flame-out. It has been six seasons since QPR reached the 4th round and they are unlikely to improve on that this season. But there is every chance we are going to hear a lot more about the team in years to come.
FA Cup 3rd Round - predicted winners in bold Saturday - Aston Villa v Man Utd; Barnsley v Blackpool; Blackburn v Coventry; Bolton v Sheff Utd; Brighton v Mansfield; Bristol City v Middlesbrough; Charlton v West Brom; Chasetown v Cardiff; Chelsea v QPR; Colchester v Peterborough; Everton v Oldham; Huddersfield v Birmingham; Ipswich v Portsmouth; Norwich v Bury; Plymouth v Hull; Preston v Scunthorpe; Southampton v Leicester; Southend v Dagenham & Redbridge; Sunderland v Wigan; Swansea v Havant & Waterlooville; Swindon v Barnet; Tottenham v Reading; Tranmere v Hereford; Walsall v Millwall; Watford v Crystal Palace; West Ham v Man City; Wolverhampton v Cambridge Utd. Sunday - Burnley v Arsenal; Derby v Sheff Wed; Fulham v Bristol Rovers; Luton v Liverpool; Stoke v Newcastle.
Footie fan - Do you think Tevez and Rooney combo will work upfront?
Bobby – We discussed this topic on Monday’s show and I don’t see how these two can’t play together. Both attract multiple defenders when they get the ball so I can see lots of opportunities being created. More importantly I can’t see how any coach worth his salt would turn down having two players like that on your team.
Ulsterson - Heinze (or his agent) seems to badly want the move to Liverpool and first team football, but I'm not sure Heinze would start in that back four. Would he move to the middle? Riise?
Bobby – I think Heinze’s versatility as well as his aggressiveness is what Benitez likes about him. Riise has often pushed forward into the midfield as well so overall it gives Benitez a lot more options to pick from.
CIAO - I'm not sure if you read Atleti's blog, but we from her blog, were wondering if you would participate in a fantasy footie league with some of us? That I know of Atleti, gabemar, Verbal, LGB, VVV, ulsterson and last but not least, the crowd favorite, Ringo were also interested in the idea.
Bobby – You can forward details to fsr@mts.net and the e mail should reach me. No promises.
LetsGoBuffalo - Why doesn't Liverpool build the new stadium to full capacity? After seeing United draws in 3 million pounds per match, what are Hicks and Gillette thinking?
In the same article it talked a little about Man U's transfer activity. First, are most deals between clubs now performance based with escalators? Secondly, seeing as two of United's signings have a hard time with injuries(Anderson and Hargreaves) Who do you see as doing the best with their money out of England's top five?
Bobby – Sorry can’t help you on the stadium issue. In terms of transfer deals there are certainly a lot more incentive based deals than you would have found even five years ago. Re best with their money – it would be Chelsea. They needed more depth in certain positions and they have achieved it.
CIAO - will you also have a review of the upcoming Serie A season?
Bobby – A Serie A preview will be up the week of August 20.
CIAO - Since you will not review the Bundesliga can you please give us your opinion on how Bayern, Stuttgart and Werder Bremen prepared for the new season? I know that Stuttgart added Basturk (a big +), but lost Hildebrand and replaced him with a goalkeeper named Schafer. Do you know anything about him? Bremen lost a defender to Real and Klose to their main rivals. Speaking of, Bayern hit the jack pot with all the talent coming to Munich. What do you make of these three teams in their domestic vs UEFA/CL cups?
Bobby – I haven’t had time to look at the Bundesliga yet so I don’t think I can be of much help. Here’s what I know. Stuttgart was the youngest side to win the Bundesliga for 30 odd years so I’m not surprised that they have not made many moves. Schafer was with Nurnberg and played in the side that beat Stuttgart in the German Cup Final in May. Werder Bremen is one of these teams not somehow find a way to replace players when they move on – almost seamlessly. They have signed Carlos Alberto who played and scored when Jose Mourinho’s Porto side won the Champions League in 2003. Bayern has splashed some serious dollars this summer and none to early. They should have done this a couple of summers ago instead of allowing the team to grow stale.
Neophyte - What do you think of DeMarcus Beasley at Glasgow Rangers? This seems to be in complete contradiction to his slight frame and easily bumped off the ball style. Do you see this working out? Ally McCoist has been complimentary of him so far. Your thoughts....
Bobby – It was DaMarcus Beasley’s performance for the US against Scotland in November 2005 that set the move to Ibrox off. Walter Smith was managing Scotland that day and in the press conference he was very complimentary about Beasley’s performance and remarked that he was the type of player Scotland use to produce but no longer. Beasley needs a shot of confidence and if he gets it you won’t find him being bumped off the ball so much. I don’t think it has anything to do with his “slight frame.”
Henry14 - 1 What happened to Nakamura, he looked like a guy who had a big club waiting to take him? 2 Who do you think are favourite to win the champions league? 3 Do you understand the ac milan transfer policy because they have money and are linked with everyone but are not buying
Bobby–1. He plays in front of 60,000 every second week, how much bigger can it get? I doubt that there are another ten clubs in the word that attract crowds like that. 2. The bookies say Barcelona. 3. They are linked with everyone because that is how it is with big clubs. There is still over three weeks left before the transfer window closes so it is a bit early to draw the conclusion that because they haven’t spent money they won’t spend money.
Craigyf - So Bobby, love to see if you have any opinions you can publish or share on the coverage of the MLS, how it's packaged, what it could learn from the more established football broadcasters (if anything) and do you have broadcasters/commentators you like.
Also we have had the Beckham stuff play out a little - what is your take on the whole pulava so far?
Bobby – Because there are multiple MLS broadcasters there is no standard presentation. I have seen good and I have seen awful this year. However, the MLS site is excellent and MLSTV is great. To be able to sit down and watch a game on the laptop or to grab the highlights is fantastic. In terms of broadcasters/commentators in general there are a lot more bad ones than good ones unfortunately - particularly in the area of colour commentators. There are far too many that seem to think that their job is to (a) second guess the officials courtesy of replays or (b) act as back-up play-by-play announcers. The colour guy’s job is to tell us why something happened not to repeat what we can see for ourselves.
As for David Beckham – I have a self imposed Beckham embargo in place until he kicks a ball in anger. Until then I don’t care.
We will start off with the FA Cup Final. Manchester United look to complete a fourth domestic double and to hoist the FA Cup for a record extending 12th time. For Chelsea it is a chance to be the first team since Liverpool in 2001 to do the domestic cup double. In addition the FA Cup represents the only trophy that Jose Mourinho has not won during his time at Porto and Chelsea.
This is only the third time that the top two teams have competed in the final. Ninety-four years ago Aston Villa beat Sunderland and in 1986 Liverpool beat Everton. It’s interesting that with the continual talk of the top teams not taking the FA Cup seriously that for the 12th straight season the Cup will be won by one of the big four. You have to go back to 1991 to find the last time that Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool or Arsenal did not make it to the deciding game. The last team outside of London, Merseyside or Manchester to actually win the trophy was Coventry in 1987 when they beat Spurs 3-2 after extra time.
Mourinho and SAF have locked horns nine times and Jose has the superior record with four wins, one loss and three draws. However, you can make a good case that the one loss was the turning point in United’s battle with Chelsea. It was back in November 2005 when a Darren Fletcher goal won the game for United. From that point on United has had a better Premiership record than Chelsea.
It could be a very special day for the evergreen Ryan Giggs. He could become the first player to win five FA Cup winners' medals in 116 years - that is to say it was last done 116 years ago not that Giggs has been playing for 116 years! He could also match Phil Neal’s record of winning seventeen major honours.
After last weekend’s slip-up by Schalke, Stuttgart is in the driving seat. A win against Energie Cottbus will assure them of their third Bundesliga title. A draw would leave the door ajar for Schalke but it would require a win by at least four goals for the Ruhr club to overtake the present leaders. They play Arminia Bielefeld who are one of the Bundesliga's form teams at the moment. Schalke’s return of 15 points out a possible 30 has not been good enough. Stuttgart is on a 7 game winning streak and their last loss was to Schalke 1-0 on March 17.
Stuttgart Coach Armin Veh replaced Trapattoni last February but it was an inau####ious start with only nine points in the final ten games of last season. Veh signed a bunch of foreign players over the summer such as Ricardo Osario and Pavel Pardo (both Mexicans), Brazilian Antonio Da Silva, Swede Alex Farnerud and Swiss striker Marco Streller. Even then the season started poorly with two losses and a draw in their first three home games. Since then Stuttgart has gone unbeaten at home with 11 wins and 2 draws. Next week Stuttgart plays Nurnberg in the German Cup Final.
Real Madrid is sitting top of La Liga for the first time since October 2005 and plays away to Recreativo de Huelva. Recreativo has performed remarkably well this season with Florent Sinama-Pongolle scoring 11 goals and securing a permanent move from Liverpool to the southern Spanish club.
Recreativo has only one loss at home since Christmas (4-0 to Barcelona) while Real Madrid have 7 wins, 2 draws and only 1 loss in their last 10 matches. During that time Ruud Van Nistelrooy has scored at a goal-a-game pace and is currently the leagues leading scorer with 21 goals.
Four words Barcelona don’t want to hear as their season threatens to implode – Atletico Madrid, Fernando Torres. Atletico have won three and drawn two of the last five games against Barca and Torres has scored six goals. This game is a test of character for Barcelona. If they lose this one and Real Madrid win there would be a sense of the inevitable about Madrid first La Liga title since 2003. Barcelona have only won twice in their last 11 away games and have only shut out the opposition four times on the road this season.
Atletico have lost three times at home but are unbeaten since December 10. There have not been a lot of goals to enjoy at the Vicente Calderon with Atletico scoring 18 and conceding 11. In 13 of the 17 home matches Atletico have scored one goal or less while Espanyol are the only visiting team to score more than one.
Fresh from retaining the UEFA Cup Sevilla travels to La Coruna where the home defense has proven to be a tough nut to crack. Deportivo La Coruna have the best defensive home record in La Liga with only 9 goals conceded in 17 games and 11 shut outs. However, it comes at cost of goals scored with only 16 goals potted at the Riazor.
Sevilla are unbeaten in their last three La Liga trips to La Coruna with two draws and one win but they not won away from home since Jan 28 against Levante. That means six games without an away win.
In MLS there is a rematch of the 2006 Championship game. Houston Dynamo won that one in a penalty shoot-out but they have made a stuttering start to the new season. Houston have won two, drawn one and lost three so far. The latest defeat came against Toronto FC on Wednesday night at a cold, wet – and we found out today – “collapsing” BMO Field.
Houston enjoyed the majority of the possession on Wednesday but they had a look of a team that did not know what to do once they got within 30 yards of the Toronto goal. On the other hand New England Revolution have flown out of the gate with four wins, two draws and a single loss. Taylor Twellman is red hot with six goals and Andy Dorman (a player who is a joy to watch at times) has three. There have only been two goals scored (one for and the other against) in three games at Robertson Stadium this season so far but I think we will see some more on Saturday.
Another bumper week for blog participation - thanks again to everyone who participates by reading or posting.
Mr. Red Devil - Now that Man Utd have won the EPL (with 2 matches to go) and will play in the FA Cup Final, do you see Carrick's transfer fee as being justified?
His play throughout the season was consistently very good and he was a valuable part of the 1st team, so I believe he was well worth the 14m-18m pounds. I know you were wary of that amount at the time of the transfer, so I just wanted to get your current views.
Bobby – He had some good games but he rarely looked like a £18 million footballer. Spurs paid £10.9 million Berbatov, different positions but who go better value? I noted that SAF was complaining that Chelsea had inflated the market by paying £27 million Michael Essien. From what I’ve seen Chelsea got a better deal paying what they did for Essien than United did for Carrick. And now we have Owen “£20 million” to look forward to.
Bmax14 - I went to my first USL game yesterday and I was actually kind of impressed with the atmosphere and reasonable quality of play. In your opinion, where would USL 1st division compare in quality to England's leagues? Would it be League 2? And MLS, my impression is that a good MLS team would be comparable to a mid-table Championship team. What would you say? I'm trying to get more into US football this year to accommodate my summer fix since there is no WC or Euro to watch. I know I can't expect the EPL but I don't think MLS (or even USL) is the absolute worst football in the world either.
Bobby – I gave up comparing leagues and came to the conclusion that it was a pointless exercise. We know that some MLS players can make it the Premiership while others would struggle to hold a starting spot in League 2 or even the conference. I think what that tells us is that the MLS has some very good players but it is lacking in depth. Because Europe has more leagues and teams playing at the professional level, players are more liable to find their natural level with teams that match their skills and abilities. This is how I look at it numerically with 10 being fantastic and 1 being poor it might line up something like this over a starting eleven. MLS – 3 nines, 2 sevens, 3 fives, 2 threes and 1 one. Championship – 1 nine, 1 seven, 3 sixes, 2 fives, 3 fours and 1 two. MLS has a wider range of skills on the team while the Championship would be much more tightly grouped.
RINGO - This week’s trivia. Which team used to play home games at Annfield? And which team plays home games at St.James Park?
Bobby – Trick question you ####. Stirling Albion and Exeter City. Did you ever post the answers to last week’s questions?
Neophyte - Why is Mark Hughes always associated with being the heir apparent to the ManU. throne? With Keane showing promise why is everyone so hot on Hughes? If SAF were to retire today I can think of a couple of others I would rather see as Gaffer than Hughes. I like Steve Coppell if I had to choose right now. How about you?
Bobby – It is standard practice to link former players with managerial and coaching jobs at their old clubs. History has proven that there is a better chance that someone will be hired who has a connection with a club than otherwise. So it makes some sense. What Mark Hughes has over the other names that pop up is European and International experience as a manager.
Rwonfootball - What is the point of the EPL suing YouTube? YouTube gives the league free publicity, so they really shouldn't be complaining.
Bobby – Simple, why would you allow someone to give away for free, something that someone else would pay for. The EPL doesn’t need free publicity nor does it want it. It wants money.
Henry14 - Q1 What is the problem with Tyneside club, do you think it’s the board, or the club in my opinion is not as big as it claims to be? Q2 If $60m we put for Berbatov do you see Tottenham selling him Q3 What do you think of Lori Cana, I am of the information that he is definitely be one of Wenger's signings. Again Bobby, Amy Lawrence on a talk show said that Wenger has been given $100m pounds as part of 80m pound transfer budget they agreed on with the creditors up to 2009 and she sees certain that Eto’o is on the cards. Personally l feel Eto’o and Henry are mutually exclusive in the same team, even if Wenger has this amount of money do you see him coming to Arsenal
Bobby – 1. In business terms Newcastle United is an underperforming asset and has been for decades. When you see that sort of situation there is only one person to blame – the Chairman and in-turn the directors. 2. If Spurs sell Berbatov the fans will be livid and rightfully so. With the new TV deal kicking and as long as the player is happy there would not appear to be any reason why Spurs would have to sell. 3. To be perfectly honest I don’t think I have ever watched him play – I certainly wasn’t aware of him. Apparently he is a defensive midfield player and so I can’t see why Arsenal would go after him. 4. I just can’t understand why Barcelona would choose to sell Eto’o. So until someone comes up with a good reason I am expecting him to stay at the Nou Camp.
BigWave - I know this is a minor thing but now that Man United has won the Premiership title can the new guy on the Fox Soccer Report stop referring to the Reds as "Man U?" All football fans know that is not a proper term.
Bobby – We have that in common. Referring to Man. Utd. as Man U has driven me crazy for years. In fact if my wife wants to bug me she will ask “is that Man U on television?” However, the reference has become so commonly used that I have accepted that nothing is going to change.
Henry14 - How you rate Torres among forwards, do you think he is the Darren Bent group of players. Is Hunterlaar for real, is he not like Kezman?
Bobby – He is far better player than Darren Bent. The problem with comparing Hunterlaar with Kezman is that for every Kezman there is a Van Nistelrooy and Roy Makaay. Who knows how differently it might have turned out for Kezman if he had joined a team that gave him a regular spot in the starting eleven.
Rob's Rabble - I wonder did you see Jorge Valdano's comments on the Liverpool Chelsea Champions League game. If not, check out The Guardian's website. Basically he compared it to watching #### on a stick. As an Arsenal fan, I have to agree somewhat that Benitez and Mourinho are strangling a lot of the skill level out of the game. The sad thing is that you could say that Arsenal actually made it to the CL final last year playing the same way. Hard to see what the solution is, but I have to say I would rather watch ties like Milan Man U over the Liverpool Chelsea ones every time.
Bobby – It was a terrible game of football but it had me on the edge of my seat.
Foxcube - Q1, given his failure to defend the title, how likely do you think now is JM to be asked to quit in the summer, if Abramovich would risk losing a couple of key players? What's your reckoning on what the owner wants the club to be like? Playing beautifully? Or a team to win at all cost, the more trophies the merrier? Q2, Can you name the three transfer targets Sir Alex alluded to? Or to rephrase it, if you were ManU manager, who'd be your top three recruits? Q3, Could you also name the three most needed positions/candidates for Liverpool and Arsenal? Q4, Is Tottenham faring better than you expected at the beginning of the season? If they can keep Berbatov, will they be among the top 4 challengers next season, including, imo, Arsenal, Everton, and Aston Villa?
Bobby – 1. I think Mourinho will be gone before the new season starts. As for what Abramovich wants – my guess is wonderful flowing football. 2. There are a number of targets that have been mentioned already – Hargreaves, Berbatov, Bales, Nani (Sporting Lisbon). I think he will be on the look out for a couple of midfielders – it would be a dangerous game to bank on Giggs and Scholes producing a repeat of this season’s form next year. United also need a striker. 3. Liverpool – a reliable and mobile 20 a season goal scorer, a first class left sided midfielder and cover at centre back although Benitez might have a couple of youngsters who can step up. Arsenal – another option on the right side of midfield, a dominating centre – both Toure and Gallas lack the couple of inches that Sol Campbell gave Arsenal – and a new goalkeeper. Lehmann’s antics wore thin a long time ago. 4. Tottenham exceeded my expectations as far as entertainment value was concerned but I think they will finish close to where I picked back in August. The FSR and the blog will be pulling out the predictions in the next week or so. Even with Berbatov I can’t see any team cracking the top four.
LosAngelesChelseaFan - Bobby, are league teams still contractually obligated to enter it (the Carling Cup)?
Bobby – I believe so.
RINGO - Having seen the way Chelsea’s season has ground to a halt, I do not think it is possible to win all four trophies.....Which makes the achievements of the "Lisbon Lions" all the more remarkable! And with the 40th anniversary of their great triumph approaching.....good topic for a blog?!
Bobby – They say records are made to be broken but Celtic’s haul in ’67 will take some beating. A couple of days ago I was thinking of the spring of 1967. Scotland beat World Champions England at Wembley, Celtic became the first northern European side to win the European Cup, Rangers were beaten by Bayern Munich in the final of the Cup Winners Cup in extra time and Kilmarnock reached the semi final of the Fairs Cities Cup before going out to Leeds United. We will never see the likes again!
Venti_vidi_vici -Now that the fourth season of the Abramovich era at Chelsea is coming to a close, is it safe to say that one still cannot buy happiness or success?
If Mourinho’s last two seasons at Porto are to be defined as successful because of the trophies he collected, how successful, would you say, were his first (and maybe only) three seasons at Chelsea?
It looks like Gary Neville, Michael Carrick and Steven Gerrard are all getting married on June 16 next month, and John Terry’s big day is the day before. That must have something to do with fixture congestion, right!? Did you receive an invitation to any of them?
In your personal opinion, why did Tim Howard not feature in the match versus his former employer, Man Utd, last week?
Congratulations are in order for Man Utd for accomplishing what, a year ago, appeared to be mission impossible and dethroning Chelsea. At the beginning of the season did anyone predict the EPL trophy going back to Old Trafford?
Bobby – The reality is that is next to impossible to have success in football without money. The thing that Abramovich brought to Chelsea was an almost unlimited supply of money – something we have never seen before. I don’t believe that two Premiership titles and assorted other hardware can be looked upon as failure. June 16 – I think there is a Gold Cup game that day. Tim Howard – I have no idea but was there not an arrangement made with one of Scott Parker’s moves? As for predicting Manchester United as the premiership champions at the start of the season – out of over 70 predictions that were received on the blog I believe only four selected United as the winners. I will have the full details next week.
Wigan’s Dave Whelan claims that six clubs are ready to sue the Premiership over the West Ham ruling.
Bojan Krkic – remember the name says Jonathan Wilson.
Alyson Rudd on Steve Heighway’s reasons for quitting his post as head of Liverpool’s Youth Academy.
James Lawton on Wednesday’s Champions League game.
And now to the weekend action coming up.
Without any doubt the match of the weekend takes place at the Bernabeu. Real Madrid and Sevilla will slug it out with the winner designated as the main challenger to Barcelona with five games left.
Real were successful in appealing David Beckham’s yellow card for time wasting last week. He can now continue his attempt to leave the Bernabeu with at least one medal to show for his four year stay. The last two matches Beckham has set up defender Sergio Ramos for two goals and the big defender will be looking for more of the same when he faces his old club.
Ruud Van Nistelrooy is also enjoying a productive streak and has rattled in seven goals in the last eight league games. Sevilla’s Freddie Kanoute leads all scorers in Spain with 20 goals, two ahead of the Dutchman. Madrid has only beaten Sevilla once in their last five meetings although Sevilla’s away record of 5-5-6 is hardly intimidating.
In a week when Manchester United and Chelsea’s dreams of a treble (yes, Chelsea can still win three trophies but one would be the Carling Cup) have been shattered Sevilla are now the one club in Europe that retains the hope of completing a treble.
Based on league positions Barcelona’s trip to San Sebastian to play second from bottom Real Sociedad looks a certain away win. However, the side that came within a whisker of winning La Liga in 2003 has recently shown signs of life. With six games left Sociedad are three points from safety but Celta Vigo, Levante and Athletic Bilbao can all be caught. The Basque side has picked up nearly half of their 27 points over the last seven games and they have won their last three home games.
Sociedad may be the lowest scorers in La Liga with only 23 goals but they give relatively few away at the back – only thirty-eight in 32 games. Eleven of their seventeen losses have come by one goal and the other six by two. In other words this is a team which has yet to be blown out and is equipped to push the league leaders particularly when you consider Barcelona’s relatively poor away form.
Bottom of the table Gimnastic can improve their chances of staying up when they play fellow strugglers Levante.
Manchester United has a chance to banish the Champions League (and the City) blues when they visit City of Manchester Stadium to play Manchester City. City is a side that is redefining the word futile as it relates to goal scoring. It is now seven games since City has scored at home and that already exceeds the old record of five games set by Everton eight seasons ago. If City misfires again they will also set a new record for the lowest number of goals scored by a home team in the English top flight. Sunderland and Woolwich Arsenal jointly hold the record of 11 goals and to date City has scored ten.
In all likelihood Chelsea will need to beat Arsenal at the Emirates on Sunday if they want to take maintain any hope of retaining their Premiership title. For Arsenal and Arsene Wenger a win would mean a first over a Jose Mourinho led Chelsea side but it might also mean that Manchester United will arrive for Wednesday’s match at Stamford Bridge as Premiership champions.
At the other end of the table and with the order of desperation in brackets – the higher the number the least desperate the club’s position – it is Wigan (6) vs. Middlesbrough (3), Aston Villa vs. Sheffield United (5), West Ham (2) vs. Bolton, Fulham (4) vs. Liverpool and on Monday Charlton (1) vs. Tottenham. Although at the start of the season I picked Fulham, Charlton and Watford to go down I can see the Cottagers surviving at the expense of West Ham. Given the ridiculous decision to fine West Ham rather than docking points such an outcome would only be delayed justice.
While the battle rages to maintain a Premiership position, the final three Premiership play off spots will be decided on Sunday. Birmingham and Sunderland are both automatically promoted and will sort out who will go up as Championship Champions while Derby County will finish third. After that five clubs are fighting for the other three spots. The teams in contention with position, opposition, points and goal difference in brackets are: West Brom (4, Barnsley, 73, 19) Wolves (5, Leicester, 73, 0) Southampton (6, Southend, 72, 21) Stoke (7, QPR, 72, 21) and Preston (8, Birmingham, 71, 10).
Up in Scotland Rangers plays Celtic is a largely meaningless affair but try telling that to Old Firm fans! Kris Boyd will attempt to break his scoring duck against Celtic. Boyd may be a predator when he faces other sides, but up against Celtic his scoring powers evaporate.
MLS Champions Houston Dynamo are still looking to get their new season in gear and have only scored one goal in four games so far. They travel to Denver to play the Rapids who have only lost one in four games and have former Manchester United and City player Terry Cooke in fine form with three assists in four games. Panamanian striker Roberto Brown has two game winning goals and a red card in his three games so far – never a dull moment for him.
Therealrico - Do you think maybe Rossi will leave for Italy? He has already made it apparent that he wants to play for Italy over the US, and maybe his style is more at home in Italy. What do you think?
Bobby – Given his goal scoring record since he arrived at Parma I can see him being in demand if he becomes available. But I cannot see SAF allowing him to leave without giving an extended run in the United team at the start of next season.
BlueBlades - Redondo ex RM and ACM, and Paulo Sousa ex Juventus. These were two excellent players who just seemed to vanish, where are they now, are they still playing or retired?
Bobby – Both excellent players and now retired. The fact that Passarella wouldn’t have him in the Argentina squad in 1998 because of the length of his hair robbed us of seeing him at his peak. It was around the same time that he went to Old Trafford with Real Madrid and was magnificent in the Champions League. I’m certain Sousa has also retired. I know that he had some injury problems but I can’t say for certain whether or not that resulted in his retirement or if he just thought it was time to pack it in. Sousa was part of Ottmar Hitzfeld’s Borussia Dortmund side that won the Champions League a decade ago.
Shaunmc - Scott Carson the Goalkeeper for Charlton, (on loan from Liverpool) came from a team called Cleator Moor Celtic. Do you have any info on this club?
Bobby – A quick internet search threw up Cleator Moor Celtic website. I have to admit that before you mentioned the team it is one that had flown under my radar. Before Liverpool Carson was with Leeds United and was part of the Peter Risdale “everything must go” sale.
RINGO - OK, Back by popular demand...my mate Verbal, anyway! Name the 2nd oldest knock-out cup competition.the oldest international competition, and the worlds oldest football club.The answers will be provided by Bobby on the next blog...if he knows them!
Bobby – OK - I'll bite! I would agree with verbal97’s answer to 1) Scottish FA Cup and 2) Copa America. The oldest surviving team is I believe Notts. County. It’s good being the first team but it must have made for a lot of squad pick up games until another team came along.
Henry14 - Do you feel United are favoured by referees? l think so because it is scandalous how they have escaped with penalties yet you see the ones they get. l understand that they are bound to get more because they attack more most of the time but some the penalties were as soft as it gets.
Bobby – All big teams get calls that smaller teams don’t get – it is not that they are consciously favoured by referees - it is human nature. It is easy to be critical of the referee for the decision on Saturday to wave off the O’Shea foul on Lee but we are benefiting from a perfect camera angle – something that the referee didn’t have, and not something I think he could be faulted for. When you look at the incident from the camera behind the Boro goal there is no way that you could say for sure that O’Shea played the man first.
Gunner44 - Why are they forming a U.K. team for the Olympics? Can't every country just rep. itself? RINGO - There will NEVER be a combined GB team, other than for the 2012 Olympics. And you will not find anyone from England, Scotland, Northern Ireland or Wales who wants one, right, Bobby?
Bobby – At the Olympics there is only a UK team. The Commonwealth Games is different – each of the four countries competes as separate teams – as does the likes of the Isle of Man and Guernsey!! In 2012 it may be a combined soccer team in name but I would be very surprised if Scotland, Northern Ireland or Wales players participated. I think the whole idea of a combined team is a crock and despite what FIFA might say I don’t trust them not to use it as a future precedent. I have never understood the line that is trotted out about how every young athlete wants to compete at the Olympic Games. I never did and nobody I grew up with did either. We all wanted to play against England at Hampden or play in the Scottish Cup Final. The Olympic soccer tournament is a pretty worthless tournament – some good football is played but…- and just another competition on the calendar that is not needed. The 2012 Olympics will come right after Euro 2012 and I know which one I will be watching. On a political note, the issue of a combined team might be a mute point. Scotland has an election coming up next week and the SNP (the Scottish Independence party) looks set to win which could set up a referendum on full sovereignty in a couple of years.
spons46 - As we reach the end of this season, what would your EPL starting XI be. I hope it isn't as red devil heavy as the "Team of the year". Gunner44 - I have always wondered why the hell does the team of the year have to be dominated by players of the team that is likely to win the title. I thought the team of the year is composed of players who have been the best at their positions, kind of like it is in the C.L. and W.C. team of the year?
Bobby – That is something I will get ready for an end of season blog. I promise mine will be current and not something I picked just after the New Year.
Neophyte - I enjoyed the article by Brooking. It has been a source of debate at our local club as to the best approach in coaching the youngsters---position and passing (argued by a man from Winchester, England) or individual footskills and 1v1, 2v2, by the senior trainer--a former professional footballer and futsal player from Sao Paulo, Brazil. You sacrifice winning at the early ages as they develop their footskills. However we are seeing the Brazilian's determination pay off in the U-12 group. The problem is you lose a lot of would-be players due to the losses and the amount of practice it takes to develop quality footskills. Question: As the American game continues to develop do you see it taking on a more South American look or a European-English look? It seems that the Yanks overseas lean towards the Anglo-countries rather than the Latin ones. But MLS seems to have an easier time getting the Latin players to come over. Your views?
Bobby – I can see the MLS taking the South American route. The climate is in favour of that style rather than the hard non-stop running style of Northern Europe. In terms of development I think the knowledgeable consensus is that teaching kids formations and tactics and any age before 12 is a waste of time. However, I see the development of passing skills as apart of overall skill development and not something that is an either or. Overall we seem to have our kids playing far too many games and not practicing enough – both organized practices and pick up games they organize themselves.
foxcube - If you were an Arsenal fan, would you stand against the possible takeover by Stan? He is not rich yet he is said to have powerful financial clout and can inject funds into transfers albeit a larger debt. Is this the number one positive for a takeover? Do you think ManU have benefited and Liverpool will benefit from their American owners? How strong do think these three big clubs would be against possible decline in income from economic downturns and awful performances on the pitch? Will the Americans invest in the clubs out of their pockets like Abramovich?
Bobby – Abramovich is an exception and no other takeover can be compared to his buyout of Chelsea. As for the other purchasers, they all see an opportunity to make money. In terms of Liverpool you have two individuals with deep pockets who are in a position to make a new stadium a realty which the old board could not do. That has to be chalked up as positive for Liverpool in that they will have an asset that generates additional revenue. It is essentially the same move that Arsenal made in building Ashburton Grove – except they were able to engineer a deal based on their financial situation at that time. In
