Old Sep Blatter on his mission to sabotage the ever improving ‘Carling Cup’ last week has called for the Premiership to be hacked down to 16 clubs. The reason he says is to keep the best players fitter for international matches and tournaments. The truth is he wants more fixture ... Read review
Old Sep Blatter on his mission to sabotage the ever improving ‘Carling Cup’ last week has called for the Premiership to be hacked down to 16 clubs. The reason he says is to keep the best players fitter for international matches and tournaments. The truth is he wants more fixture space to move games from the crowded December block by annulling the second English domestic knock out cup, responsible for the Nationwide ... ...but lucrative, World Club Championship again that nearly scupperd out primary cup!.
During the visit to watch Fulham V Manchester United the junket saw 60 FIFA members turn up to bury their noses in the trough.
One of those world stars Blatter wants to protect is ‘Ronaldo’ of course and all those lucrative sponsorship deals that he generates in the world game. The deals that make Bolton season ticket holders ... more
Old Sep Blatter on his mission to sabotage the ever improving ‘Carling Cup’ last week has called for the Premiership to be hacked down to 16 clubs. The reason he says is to keep the best players fitter for international matches and tournaments. The truth is he wants more fixture space to move games from the crowded December block by annulling the second English domestic knock out cup, responsible for the Nationwide Leagues main revenue source, freeing up January for the pointless, but lucrative, World Club Championship again that nearly scupperd out primary cup!. During the visit to watch Fulham V Manchester United the junket saw 60 FIFA members turn up to bury their noses in the trough.
One of those world stars Blatter wants to protect is ‘Ronaldo’ of course and all those lucrative sponsorship deals that he generates in the world game. The deals that make Bolton season ticket holders miss out on tickets for the said Carling Cup as that ever lucrative corporate crowd gobble them up. Anyhow the goofy Brazilian managed to upset the Pope, his religious leader, by smashing a priceless stained glass window during one of those groovy Nike ads, during a wayward bicycle kick!..
The multi national state of play these days in the Premiership encouraged a well known bookmaker to offer a spread on how many of the Middlesbrough and Bolton players in the Carling Cup final would sing the national anthems. The spread was three to sing and amazingly two Boro players and one Bolton braved our national song. You cant beat those bookies, unless your Kieran Fallon of course!.
But that wasn’t the biggest embarrassment of the week, nor was ‘David Beckhams’ pink Pringle sweater (could the rumours be true!).No it was Stan Collymore who once again grabbed the headlines by being caught ‘dogging’ in a Cannock lay bye. No he hasn’t got back together with Ulrika but taking part in a seedy sexual practice, mostly partaken by the working classes, where lardy people Gather in lay-bys and car parks of the country and watch each other shag, before taking part. The ex Forest, Villa and just about every other club in the Midlands he prefers to play for, for obvious reasons, has been sacked from his media work.
Four out of six British teams won last week in Europe and it reminds us of the time that English clubs dominated the scene in the late seventies and early eighties. Liverpool, Forest and Villa held the European Cup for five out of six seasons and the European Cup Winners Cup and EUFA Finals were littered with our boys.
With the great John Charles now on his way to his rightful place in the celestial European all-star eleven this is the time of the season when players like that in the run-in are at their most critical. Another stoic if moronic legend who is moving from attack to defence with age is Roy Keane. After grounding his boot sponsors logo into the FC Porto’s keeper, Manchester Uniteds hopes of silverware probably came to a halt. Boy would that guy have made a good hit man for the IRA!.
LEVSKI SOFIA (0) 1 LIVERPOOL (2)….1…3-1 on agg….(LIVE) 2pm..Channel 5……
An away goal early on should tie this one up for Liverpool if they play that way. Sit back away and go a goal down and the world is a very different place. I still think Liverpool are the better team by far here and should make the last 8.Gerrald is the man for me to score that goal with one of those stunning half volleys.
If they can win this trophy and secure forth spot then Houlier can survive. Without silverware the five year plan looks beached. Just as a place in the champions league is his incentive to keep pushing it’s also a carrot to attract another big manager. If the Mick’s can jemmy Ferguson out of Old Trafford and get O’Neil in then maybe the genial Irishman will except second best at Liverpool.
After a scrappy under strength team performance in Norway the away goal should be enough to deal with these Scandinavian minnows that are out of season. With Shearer throwing his toys out of the pram and Robert back in the team I think we all hope Sir Bobby can keep the season going with a home win here.
Speculation is growing that Shearers dropping from the first leg is just the latest twist to a growing spat between two of English footballs most respected names. Apparently Alan refused an invitation to attend Sir Bobby’s seventy first party in Portugal. Could we see the early succession of the ebullient striker to player-manager role by the summer if Newcastle are pot less again this year.
72 out of 75 points in the ludicrous Jock league and now the longest ever unbeaten domestic run of home wins points to no problems in the second leg here. Hell they may even rest Larsson. A return to the EUFA Cup final against the club O-Niel could take over in May in Liverpool would be fun.
If Arsenal hadn’t thrown the Carling Cup semi final like a drunk tossing a beer glass in a Scottish pub the invincible ‘Arsen Wegner’ side would be in all four domestic and European competitions in glorious March. Unbeaten in the league and FA cup they go into tomorrow’s match against Portsmouth looking invincible. Manchester United go into March like Lennox Lewis legs after a lucky punch.
MY FA CUP QUARTER FINAL PREDICTIONS (And bets!)……………
PORTSMOUTH 0 ARSENAL 2………Live Saturday the 6th March BBC1 (5-30pm)
There’s no way that under resourced Portsmouth can win this, let alone get a goal. Arsenal are better than them in every department and should win handsomely. Just three wins away from the all time premiership record of thirty, ironically against Manchester United at Highbury to achieve that feat; I just can’t see Wenger resting all his best players for this match. And we all know his bench is stronger than most Premiership sides.
MANCHESTER UNITED 2 FULHAM 1……LIVE SKY SPORTS….. 4pm Sunday…. Ferguson’s arrogant mistake of not buying cover for Ferdinand and any impending injuries in January will cost him dearly. Brown and O’Shea being jiggled around at the back isn’t working and they are shipping goals.
I think the embarrassing smash and grab in the premiership game though when the two teams met last at Old Trafford will be enough to spur the reds through to the semi in this particular competition. Malbranque is a danger, but more with Saha, who is of course on the United bench’ cup- tied’. The Reds haven’t lost a domestic last four match under Ferguson, 21 at last count and will surely make their first FA Cup final since the glorious season of 1999 with a win here.
SUNDERLAND 2 SHEFFIELD UNITED 1…..Sunday 7th March 1pm LIVE (BBC1)
Another Nationwide side will be assured a semi final spot after these two sleeping Premiership sides meet at the Stadium of Hope and light. It also sees two of the games great characters come head to head in McCarthy and Warnock. I think Sheffield Uniteds decaying league form is the factor here and since they lost a key player to Spurs and one to injury the team is out of sync. Sunderland on the other hand are improving all over the park and with the bulk of their failed Premiership squad still in place I expect a semi final birth here.
MILLWALL 1 TRANMERE 1………A glorious right wing cross around these parts has a more than one meaning in some households and that home crowd hostility will really test the Scousers. But Tranmere always do well in the domestic cups and with one of these two ‘Nationwide’, soon to become Coca Cola teams going to the semi final of the ‘Real Thing’ Cup, compared to the Football Leagues pale imitation, its sure to be tight. Penalties in the replay looks odds on to me!.
MANCHESTER UNITED (1) 2 PORTO (2) 0………..United win 3-2 on agg.
After their messy defeat in Portugal I do feel they are the better of the team teams and will put things right here. Losing Ferdinand may have let goals but signing Saha has just increased parity by putting more in the other end, something Porto’s dated centre backs may struggle with.
It does feel though a London clubs name is written on the European Cup this year and even if United do get through they are not strong enough for glory.
ARSENAL (3) 2 CELTA VIGA (2) 0…….Arsenal to win 5-2 on agg………….
The Gunners may tweak their resources after a convincing display away from home and save their legs for the domestic cup. A fun evening for all will see Arsenal attempt to beat Uniteds unique treble of 99.
CHELSEA 3 STUTTGART 1……… Maybe a nervy away goal early on but I do feel Ranieris lavish squad will see them through to the last 8.I just have the feeling that it’s going to be the little Italian from West London who is going to be showered by that silver foil and champagne in the final.
Advantages: All the top european teams, great european nights Disadvantages: Fifa people talking rubbish about English teams -Platini et al
The Champions league is the most well known and recognised european club football competition in World football. It begins in July before the start of the season usually in qualifying rounds with clubs from various countries in Europe contesting to make it into the group stages.16 teams who are succesful in the qualifying stages join 16 seeded teams in the group stage, in which there are eight groups with four teams in each. The eight group winners ... ...with the final match in May. In the group stages each team plays the other -1 match at home and 1 away. The top two teams in each group go through to the knockout stages. In the knockout stages there is a home and away leg. The team with the most goals over the two legs goes through . If teams are equal on goals scored then away goals come in to play. If a team has more away goals then the other team, then they will go through. Only if the scores ...
ajbluestar2 08.06.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of ITV - Live Champions League Coverage
Advantages: The epic football Disadvantages: Des Lynam
ITV have, for several years now, had exclusive coverage of the UEFA Champions League and have certainly struck lucky with their investment - it has come just at the time when football has become a truly global game and the football that is most popular seems to be the Champions League, featuring, as it does, the best teams the Continent can offer. It's struck gold this year as well with the performances of the English clubs, United, Arsenal and Leeds, ... ...haven't got the Champions League, ITV has, and that's a bit of a scoop.
However, apart from the attractiveness of the basic product (the football), ITV haven't really added anything to it. True Terry Venables is a knowledgeable pundit, but he's gone very bland in recent years, and Des Lynam as the link man is now well past it, and verging on the bumbling in recent weeks.
As regards the actual fare itself - I've been a bit disappointed that ITV ...
dave27 05.04.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of ITV - Live Champions League Coverage
Advantages: great european football Disadvantages: English teams are falling behind
This years champions league has already seen off its first group stage in which we all saw all three English teams progress comfortably with Celtic Scotlands only team in the competition sadly getting knocked out in the first satge even after beating Juventus 4-3 at Parkhead.
So with the early progression of Arsenal, Mancherster United and Liverpool came the hopes of an English team winning the competition however this week has seen one of the worst ... ...football, with Manchester United drawing with Bayern Munich, Arsenal losing to Boavista and Liverpool ( I say this grudgingly) getting destroyed at anfield by the mighty Barcelona. It is my opinion that this weks results show the gap between English clubs and their European counterparts. While back in the Premier league there is finally some competition for Manchester United in the shape of Leeds united, Arsenal and Liverpool all who have strengthened ...
mcfish 22.11.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of ITV - Live Champions League Coverage
Advantages: Des Lynam Disadvantages: Andy Townsend (sometimes)
Do any of you remember when Bob Wilson presented this programme? C'mon you know the ex-Arsenal goalkeeper, witty, friendly and a genuinley good presenter. Now we're stuck with old Des and Ally (maybe sometimes Terry Venables and Andy Townsend) Fair enough the bits in between Ally and Terry arguing over whether Inzaghi was offside or not (of course he was) are usually superb, you know in this competition your likely to see some superb football! (just ... ...some of the best football i've ever seen)But I really can't be bothered with Des showing us the goals time after time in every angle imaginable, okay we seen it, it was a good goal. As for Andy Townsend, half of the time i'm sure he was watching a totally different game and at times he can be very critical, what did he achieve in his career? Did he take part in this competition? Jelously maybe, anyhow Ally McCoists wise cracks and humour can, well ...
El_Marco 07.02.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of ITV - Live Champions League Coverage
Advantages: Des Lynam, normally decent commentators Disadvantages: Rotten analysts including Terry Venables
...matches are the mainstay of ITV sports coverage. They wheel out the big guns, most notably Des Lynam for the coverage, yet it just lacks something.
Lynam, as expected, is smooth and brilliant. Commentator Clyde Tyldsley is excellent, if somewhat biased towards Manchester United (which is very nauseating at times). Add in Big Ron Atkinson (who I seem to be in a minority of liking – he’s a character) and you have a pretty good base.
Unfortunately ... ...begin to see just where ITV is going wrong. This is one area where the BBC are leaps and bounds ahead of ITV, as messrs Hansen, Lawrenson and O’Neill make far more sense on a regular basis than this bunch of supposed “experts”. Look at their track record in the game and consider their true worth.
It is somewhat of a shame because ITV are obviously committed to the Champions League. The coverage only needs slight tinkering to make it very good indeed. ...
toneboy7 13.09.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of ITV - Live Champions League Coverage
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