UK Football

Well it’s footballers go to jail day today, apparently, and first up is Ricardo Fuller of Stoke City who finds himself jailed for suspicion of driving offences.  Although Stoke won’t miss their striker much, considering he’s been out of action anyway with a dislocated shoulder since February 7th.  And I seriously doubt a reckless driving charge will keep him away from football for any longer than his shoulder injury has already threatened to do.

Marlon King joins Ricardo Fuller as strikers in trouble, the Hull City man faces a court charge of sexually assaulting and punching a woman in an incident at a bar from December 7th.  A fairly serious charge if Marlon King can’t offer some sort of defence, and King is the sort of player Hull City really would miss, especially with the way that they have been struggling in the latter part of this season.  But I have to say, I really won’t miss watching King play should he be guilty of sexually assaulting a woman, something about that would just make me respect a player’s ability less.

And finally, Pompey rejected a takeover bid from Swiss finance group VS Investments.  Apparently current owner Gaydamak was unhappy with the amount, which apparently was low after factoring in Portsmouth’s £40million debt.  Meaning anybody who was unhappy with the way Portsmouth is being run will have to wait a little longer until anything is actually sorted out.

photo: Nick

Poor Phil Brown, the guy finally gets to spend big money on a player that Hull City desperately needed in Jimmy Bullard, and now almost immediately after the deal is done, Bullard will be out for the rest of the season after requiring surgery on his knee.  Hull City spent a club record £5million for the England hopeful, and Bullard only played 37 minutes in a Tigers shirt before re-injuring the same knee that caused him so much trouble at Fulham.

But good news is, Hull are in a great position to stay afloat after this season, meaning Bullard will have the chance to make the same sort of return he made for Fulham.  After his injury is through, should Bullard be able to soldier on and continue his football career, I’d bet he’s still got enough in him to become that vital midfield player Phil Brown wants him to be.

Eduardo almost made a dream return for Arsenal, but not quite.  Eduardo’s long awaited return did start well however, the Croatian scored 2 goals in Arsenal’s 4-0 victory over Cardiff in their fourth round FA Cup replay.  And then the dream story ended, as Eduardo had to come off, having picked up a hamstring injury, meaning Eduardo has returned only to face another three week layoff.  But at least he’s proven to be the same goal scoring Eduardo Arsenal have been missing.  When they can get him to stay healthy again, no doubt Eduardo will once again play a vital role in Arsene Wenger’s first team.

And finally, for any argument as to why Wayne Rooney should always start ahead of Tevez, should there be no mitigating factors like injury, was proven without a doubt yesterday during Manchester United’s 3-0 stomping of Fulham.  Rooney had missed the last seven matches with a hamstring injury, Fergie finally let him take the pitch in the 60th minute, Rooney is on for two minutes, and with his first touch, Rooney scores United’s third goal off a brilliant Ji Sung Park cross.

Sure it was a poachers goal so any striker worth their weight in the team could have put it away, but Rooney did, and Tevez didn’t.  In fact Tevez was United’s one weak link in that match last night, which saw the resurgence of Paul Scholes, the emergence of Gibson as a great midfield threat, and the significance of Berbatov playing as United’s lead striker.  I guarantee the scoreboard would have read a different result had Rooney started in place of Tevez.  Because all those times Tevez gets a pass and is then immediately tackled because he sits on the ball, or those times Tevez puts a pass astray because he can’t read his teammate’s intentions very well, would have been played differently with Rooney’s foot on the ball.  Fulham are lucky the England striker was only given thirty minutes, or else you could chalk up at least another two goals for United on the night.

Cold John Terry actually be set to leave Chelsea this summer?  So far the England captain seems to be out of favour with the Chelsea bosses, after having publicly voiced his support of Scolari and also criticized the decision to fire him, Terry has been linked with possible transfers ever since.  And usually the rumour mill is always in some way correct, if not always 100%.

The newest to enter the fray?  Manchester City of course.  That’s right, the richest club in the world is planning on making a bid for England’s captain this summer, and for anyone to be tempted it’s going to have to approach Kaka territory, because John Terry is world class.  You put Terry in your squad to keep the defence incredibly solid, as well as put a new dimension into your set pieces.  Terry alone could fill almost all of City’s defensive weaknesses, and turn them into that top four competitor everyone expects they should be.

The LA Galaxy bosses have pulled rank on David Beckham and refused the former England captain’s requests to make a permanent move to AC Milan.  And that just goes to show how stupid the Galaxy are.  You can’t stop a player from leaving when he wants to, and Beckham has a clause in his contract that will allow him to depart in November for free, which he’ll no doubt do.  The Galaxy should have taken the money AC Milan were offering, that way at least they would have some sort of a profit off the failure of bringing Beckham to America.

What they were thinking, or even what Beckham was thinking by going to MLS I’ll never know.  Beckham is the sort of player that makes good players into fantastic players, you buy him to bolster your squad, you don’t build a squad around Beckham.  His talent doesn’t work that way.  The Galaxy don’t have anyone for Beckham to make better, because they’re all awful, the dregs of football society.

The Galaxy should have just cut their losses and taken the cheque Milan would have handed them, and no doubt they’ll regret the decision to turn down Beckham’s move when he just leaves for free later this year.

And finally, Hull must be very angry about how their most expensive club transfer in history has gone so far.  Jimmy Bullard only played 37 minutes for the club before re-injuring the knee that has troubled him for years at Fulham, and now the England man will require another surgery to repair the damage, the same sort of surgery that put him out of the Fulham squad for a year and a half.  Kind of funny though when you think  about it, Hull finally decides to spend the money it takes to be successful in the big time, and then it all goes so wrong.

photo: José Cruz/ABr

The only thing I can say about Chelsea’s draw with Hull yesterday, is that it was just another in a growing line of lacklustre performances from Chelsea that exhibited no heart, desire or team spirit.  And while I think Scolari’s problems in management are still his inability to get his men flowing together as a team on a consistent basis, I have to say I don’t agree with the supporters that are saying he should be fired.  You can’t win the Premiership every season, and Chelsea are in third place in the league, that’s still Scolari doing a fantastic job.

But I think his shortcomings are in following a successful international coaching career with the club circuit.  Scolari has grown too accustomed to managing countrymen, and players that all speak the same language fluently, now he seems to be having trouble getting players from a million different backgrounds to come together under that Chelsea shield.  Scolari just needs time to adapt, it’s a big change in the Brazilian’s career and it’s taken longer than expected for him to adjust.

Chelsea need a manager that can make mistakes, which is why Scolari should be given time, and should definitely be safe until the end of next season.  Abramovich needs to give him time to teach the club how to flourish under the Scolari system, and the players need time to know and form a better partnership with their manager.

photo: Reto Stauffer

Kaka has officially turned down Manchester City’s obscene offer of £100million, which would have meant a £500,000 a week deal for the Brazilian, and I respect Kaka’s decision. I find it incredible that Kaka has so much commitment to AC Milan and is of such a level headed mind set that he can turn down a boat load of money, for the best interests of his club. Jermaine Pennant will join Portsmouth on loan from Liverpool for the remainder of the season, in a deal that Pompey desperately needed. No doubt Pennant will find his stay at Pompey permanent come seasons end, and I don’t see why Pennant wouldn’t want a permanent deal, as playing more often for Portsmouth has to be better than being overlooked at Liverpool.

And finally, Joe Kinnear and Phil Brown have been charged over their conduct during an FA Cup replay on January 14^th. Apparently the two are children that can’t stop fighting with each other on the touchlines, instead of being professional and coaching their respective sides. The two have until February 3^rd to respond, and Joe Kinnear, in another showcasing of his inability to keep his mouth shut, said “He (Brown) came across. He was having a rant, more than anything.

“He didn’t actually say anything to me, he was having a rant at (Newcastle assistant) Chris Hughton and he wasn’t saying too many pleasant things to him.

“I just said ‘enough’, that’s all I said. I don’t know what the trouble was with the ref.”

photo: Mr. Phillip Chambers

Steven Gerrard now has apparently been charged with assault, following his arrest yesterday from a Merseyside nightclub. Liverpool issued a statement today to voice their support for Gerrard, but the main thing that should be taken from all this, is that Liverpool have to hope Gerrard is caught up in the trial or even jail time afterwards. Liverpool are making a remarkable run to stay atop of the Premier League so far this season, and the loss of their captain could prove fatal for the clubs chances of hoisting the title come seasons end.

But one club will be on a high until Premiership fixtures continue after next weekend’s FA Cup fixtures, and that is Aston Villa. The Villans have proven themselves to have one of the most necessary assets to a successful Premiership run, luck. Villa have ground out a seemingly impossible 1-0 victory against Hull today, a lucky goal sure, but a goal nonetheless.

Martin O’Neill has got his men more disciplined than I’ve ever seen them, and Ashley Young, Agbonlahor and Gareth Barry seem to have finally settled in together. Meaning that attacking talent we always knew Aston Villa was spoiled with, is finally achieving the potential every football fan saw possible. If they can continue the good fortunes just a bit longer, Villa may yet find themselves with a Champions League spot at the end of the year. Because let’s face it, Arsenal is set up to drop out of Champions League territory, and with the way they’re playing, will anyone be surprised?

Photo: Gordon Flood

By far, Manchester United v. Hull City, but seeing as I’ve already talked about that, how about the shock upset of Harry Redknapp’s Tottenham over Liverpool 2-1. Because I for one never thought such a result possible, not with the run Liverpool have been making in the Premiership lately. For at least a while, especially after the victory over Chelsea, Liverpool have looked the team to beat, but perhaps I need to re-evaluate that statement, or Harry Redknapp has just made that big of an impression on the Tottenham men. I think the latter is more likely.

Tottenham are full of belief now that Redknapp has taken the reins, and reminded the players what a good team they actually have at the moment. The fact that Liverpool completely blew a lead that Dirk Kuyt bought them in the third minute, and held for 67 minutes afterward, shows the belief of a Tottenham side that should have been all but out of the contest.

Liverpool were the Premier League’s late winners at the very beginning of this season, waiting until the closing stages until finally breaking through a winning the match. But now Tottenham look to have taken the reins, with last week’s upset point against Arsenal in the 4-4 draw. In which two goals came late for Spurs to put themselves level. And the same story again, only this time Tottenham gets all three points.

Good show Redknapp, let’s see if you can keep your boys off the bottom of the table for the rest of the season now.

Photo: Austin Osuide

Hull City completely deserve any praise offered, because they are a rarity in the Premier League. Hull City are a promoted team, that play as though they’ve never known anything but the very best in top flight football. Brown has instilled an incredible amount of confidence in his men, as evidenced in their defeat by Manchester United 4-3. Yes it was a defeat, but Hull did what most could never do at Old Trafford, and that’s give Manchester United a true test of character, forcing the champions into a corner and almost succeeding in gaining what would have been a very unexpected point.

But unfortunately for Hull, Ronaldo has finally appeared to hit his form after suffering an ankle injury that required surgery, during Euro 2008. Cristiano is on fire, and looks likely to light up the scoreboards much in the same way he did last year. Combined with the strength of Berbatov on his game, a hungry Wayne Rooney still questing for that elusive 100^th career club goal, and the return of a healthy Michael Carrick’s passing, Hull should have been completely routed into a much larger margin of United victory.

But Phil Brown’s men have shown that they belong with the best, and I’ve no doubt they will continue to do so. A fifth place finish for Hull? Completely possible the way they’re playing.

As for top flight football elsewhere in the Premier League, Arsene Wenger continues to evidence why he just needs to go. Arsenal dropped all available points against as Stoke surprised them 2-1.

Arsenal just don’t belong right now, and Arsene Wenger does not belong at the managerial position of the club. Should they hope to remain in the top four as the season winds down anyway.