photo credit: wonker
Maybe we can get the focus back on the field…
Portsmouth’s financial troubles have continued under-the-radar because other things have been going on in the Premier League, but now the team (apparently) has a couple interested buyers and now they are saying that the price is dropping to basically “nothing”.
Ok, this one I agree with. You know, a few years ago when the NHL came out of their lockout that cancelled the Stanley Cup and ruined the league they took a TV deal with NBC that NBC didn’t have to pay for. You know what? It kind of helped. Read more... (329 words, 4 images, estimated 1:19 mins reading time)
photo credit: wonker
Liverpool fans need to be careful with their expectations…
Rarely do we see a team’s fortunes rise so quickly under the management of an unfit manager and with a superstar who is so disrespectful to his other teammates that he’d suggest the team pick up some of his Spanish countrymen because “he need help”.
I’ve already spoken my peace about this so I won’t go back there, but somehow the Reds have moved to within 10 points of Chelsea who sits in first and 1 point from Tottenham in 4th place. Read more... (321 words, 4 images, estimated 1:17 mins reading time)
The fifth round of the FA Cup will see a couple of huge local derbies. One of them sees Portsmouth travel to bitter rivals Southampton.
Carling Cup finalists Aston Villa will travel to Crystal Palace while Spurs will travel to Owen Coyle’s Bolton.
With Arsenal Manchester United and Liverpool already out of the tournament, Chelsea fans must be feeling very confident about going to Wembley again. In the 5th round they will face Cardiff at home. It will be a massive upset for Cardiff to win here. Read more... (203 words, 3 images, estimated 49 secs reading time)
Liverpool disastrous season reached new lows on Wednesday as they were knocked out the FA Cup Wednesday by Reading.
It is no longer a big surprise when Liverpool loses, considering they have lost 10 of their last 20 games.
But for a side already out of the Champions League and the title race, the FA Cup promised the best chance for silverware this season for Liverpool fans.
To add injury to insult for Rafa Benitez, he saw lost both Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres to injuries during the first half. Read more... (290 words, 2 images, estimated 1:10 mins reading time)
Sir Alex Ferguson suffered his first FA Cup third-round defeat since taking the reins at Manchester United in 1986 as Jermaine Beckford’s first-half winner gave third-tier Leeds United a 1-0 victory at Old Trafford.
Saturday’s action had failed to produce any upsets but the major surprise came at the most unlikely venue on Sunday as Simon Grayson’s side belied their position to inflict a maiden FA Cup reverse against lower league opposition on the Man Utd. Leeds had displayed no reservations in the early stages of the contest and were rewarded when Johnny Howson’s long pass released Beckford and he steered his shot across Tomasz Kuszczak. Read more... (249 words, 2 images, estimated 60 secs reading time)
The king of the Coppa Italia, Roberto Mancini took his first step towards success in the English equivalent when his Manchester City side won 1-0 at Middlesbrough in the FA Cup third round.
Mancini won the Italian Cup six times as a player and four as a coach and, having overseen two league victories since replacing Mark Hughes at City, watched his new team advance comfortably with a late first-half goal by striker Benjani Mwaruwari against the second division hosts. The final might seem a long way away but Mancini can take heart from the fact that in the last five years the team who have knocked Middlesbrough out have reached the final – albeit without going on to win it. Read more... (193 words, 2 images, estimated 46 secs reading time)
photo credit: wonker
Roy Keane totally put his old teammate on blast today when he started running his mouth about Mark Hughes being fired from Manchester City. Like the title says…I just love it when people say how much they hate someone else. For example…I HATE Shaq…HATE him (and I’m a Lakers fan) but I hate his guts. I really do.
So, when Roy Keane says of Hughes and City:
“I think when you’re involved with a club like United, as Sparky was over his career, you shouldn’t go to a club like City. I think you should try and get employment somewhere else. I think Sparky is probably better off.” Read more... (431 words, 4 images, estimated 1:43 mins reading time)
I wake up this morning and read the scathing headlines about how some Red players are unhappy with the atmosphere in the locker room in Liverpool and I have to sigh and chuckle at the same time because I JUST wrote about this and here it is again staring us in the face. There’s two ways to look at this and both are not good for Liverpool. Read more... (404 words, 2 images, estimated 1:37 mins reading time)
Frank Lampard’s second-half winner gave Guus Hiddink the FA Cup in his final game as Chelsea manager after a 2-1 win over Everton at Wembley.
Everton had scored the fastest goal in the history of the cup final after just 25 seconds when Louis Saha’s left-footed strike flashed past Petr Cech. But Didier Drogba powered in a headed equaliser before the break, and Chelsea dominated the second period with Lampard’s 72nd-minute winner taking the trophy.
Apart from allowing Ashley Cole to become the first player since the 19th century to collect five winners’ medals, the victory, Chelsea’s second in three years at the new Wembley, is a reminder of the stability Hiddink has brought to Stamford Bridge since replacing the hapless Luiz Felipe Scolari in February. Read more... (386 words, 3 images, estimated 1:33 mins reading time)
Arsenal took a belated place in the FA Cup quarter-finals after a comfortable 3-0 defeat of Burnley, while Everton beat Middlesbrough 2-1 for a semi-final berth.
A postponed match in a previous round meant the Arsenal against Burnley tie was put off until quarter-final weekend, and once the encounter began the Gunners ensured no repeat of their League Cup elimination by the second-tier club, taking a 25th-minute lead with Carlos Vela’s deft chip. Eduardo da Silva, making his second appearance of the season having returned from long-term injury with two fourth-round replay goals against Cardiff City three weeks ago, made it 2-0 with a volley early in the second half and late on Emmanuel Eboué secured victory and a quarter-final against Hull City on 17 or 18 March. Read more... (285 words, 3 images, estimated 1:08 mins reading time)
