Barcelona give the Reds the Blues... again.

Aston Villa crashed out of the Europa league in consecutive seasons to Rapid Vienna, and during their second conquest of Villa Park a banner was unveiled which more aptly describes the situation at Wembley last night: 'The Nightmare Returns'. Despite lining up with only two natural defenders in their side, Barcelona limited United to a sparse collection of half-chances, one of which was taken emphatically by a mercilessly Wayne Rooney, who like so many of Sir Alex's players can hold his head high and positively state that he gave all he had to give. The first half was an even contest between two well matched sides, the current Kings of European football lost their shape and conceded possession more times in one forty-five minutes than they had all season. For the first time weaknesses were exposed, particularly down the right flank guarded by a reluctant Alves against a rampant Partice Evra. Park and Giggs began to dominate the midfield battle and until Pedro's sucker-punch opening goal Vidic and Ferdinand looked comfortable with the task which faced them.

Nobody can criticise United's willingness to attack and determination as a unit, but the quality of Barca's finishing was majestic. Having been a revelation this season at Old Trafford, Javier Hernandez crashed back down to earth as his apparent inability to stay onside allowed a second half onslaught, and the Catalan front three grabbed all the goals with Messi and Villa adding to Pedro's first half slot. Messi's genius apparently has no bounds in a Barcelona shirt, and even the tactical mind of Ferguson failed to deliver an answer to the little Argentine conundrum. His goal was the pick of incredible moments, and Pepe Guardiola can take plaudits for restoring order to his side at half time with Xavi and Iniesta dictating the pace allowing Messi to drive forward from deep. Although there were some rather exaggerated statistics on ITV's coverage of the game which claimed that Barcelona had 16 attempts of United's goals, at least half of which must be fictional, any suggestion that they did not dominate the second half is futile. United lost their legs after an hour of non-stop pressurising and chasing the 'Nightmare' around, and when players with the calibre of Giggs and Fabio are substituted because of sheer tiredness and strain on their bodies, the opposition must be pretty special. Barcelona did not look at all phased by the Wembley occasion as they stepped onto the pitch led by the great man Xavi, who has tamed every midfield of the whole host of European giants which Barcelona have left lying in their wake. United won't stop until they have ended the Nou Camp  dynasty, and the final was an amazing advert for European and English football. Despite a few rolls and rants from game spoilers such as Busquets and Mascherano, Barcelona won it the right way, if there is such a thing. Their fluent, fluid attacking football and patience in possession was like a footballing dream, and with such a display it is difficult to imagine when their European rivals will wake up from the Catalan 'Nightmare'.

So ends another year of Premiership madness, the best in years if we can all look beyond the nostalgia of the past. First a few words for the unlucky ones among the top twenty, the sides who by hook or by crook will face the tiresome test of the Championship next season. The seasons' entertainers, Blackpool with their fluid and entertaining football were sadly found wanting on the final day of the season in the Theatre of Dreams, or the Theatre of unfulfilled nightmares for so many vising fans. Charlie Adam's wand of a left foot and Ian Holloway's unshakeable determination to take the fight to the Football Association won the hearts of so many, and surely all of us have an endearing memory of the Tangerines after such a fantastic year. Birmingham on the other hand represent the other side of the coin. This years Carling Cup winners showed the suffocating defensive impregnability of a top half side, but their lack of fire power came at the price of a season outside of the nation's top flight and an ultimatum to one of football's good guys Alex McLeish. For West Ham one has to feel even more sympathetic. An upholder of tradition, and advocate of attractive football, under the stewardship of Avram Grant and the watchful gaze of Gold and Sullivan, the club has gone to rack and ruin after promising so much. Suddenly the question has radicalised from 'will we be able to fill the Olympic Stadium' to 'Will we get much for Scotty Parker' and 'Is there really any integrity left at Upton Park' in light of Avram Grant's disrespectful dismissal in an unused room at the DW Stadium.

The DW Stadium, such a contrast in terms of ownership and history. A club that by its own admission does not have an appropriate fanbase to support such status, yet year upon year with the backing of a fine Chairman in Dave Whelan, Wigan just always dodge the bullet. The work of Charles N'Zogbia at one end and the exploits of Ali Al-Habsi at the other keep the Latics in the Premiership for a seventh consecutive year. Martinez's men so nearly stayed in Britain's top divison at the expense of Wolves, who encapsulated their own season on the final day by doing their level best to throw their own Premier League status away against fellow relegation candidates Blackburn. Under exciting new ownership, Blackburn were disappointed to find themselve scrapping for survival on the last day of the season, but their physical prowess came good in the concluding stages and in truth they were too strong for the sides in chase. Thankfully for Wolves their performances in the West Midlands stood them in good stead, taking 11 points out of a potential 18 from Villa, Blues and Albion, the highlight for them coming in the penultimate showdown at Molineux with a 3-1 victory against West Brom. WBA in their return season experienced stared motionlessly into the abyss in January 2011, and Roberto Di Matteo felt the force of the relegation threatened Chairman. Fortunately for the Albion, the gamble proved to be the best decision taken by a top flight side all year, with successor Roy Hodgson avenging his own Liverpool hell by leading the Hawthorns side to 11^th in the table. Hodgson however left his own successor Kenny Dalglish with no more desirable situation than the one he inherited in West Bromwich. Kenny, the King of the Kop led Hodgson’s bottom half outfit, with a little help from Uruguayan genius Luis Suarez to 6^th in the table, and the Anfield side lost their momentum just in time to avoid the poisoned chalice of the Europa League. However, despite the fairest side in the England’s best efforts to get themselves disqualified, it is Fulham who find themselves drafted into the second string UEFA competition under the management of Mark Hughes, who has quietly gone about his business at Craven Cottage since his dismissal from Eastlands. Fulham will of course be joined by another team with a manager on a mission; Tony Pulis has been eager to prove that his side had been unfairly labelled a route one band of thugs, and what better way that to lead them to an FA Cup Final?

Despite a fantastic season, Stoke were beaten by a merciless Man City side, whose manager Roberto Mancini registered his first trophy in English football. But goodness couldn’t Mancini do with a player like Mancini himself? Had it not been for City’s negative, unconfident approach in the first half of the season, we may well be here discussing an even more memorable rise to second of first in the league. Similarly we must move to North London for two sides who have under achieved for the exact opposite reason. Spurs can blame their inspired Champions League run for an eternity but it was their defence which sold a fabulous attacking side short, and as for Arsenal, the writing is on the wall for Wenger should he once again refuse to invest in his own weak defence. Arsenal as always have shown flashes of brilliance this year, defeating both European Cup finalists at the Emirates and proving that Robin van Persie is the most dangerous striker in the Premier League today after his return to fitness this calendar year. This accolade once belonged to two strikers now applying their trade (badly) at Stamford Bridge; Didier Drogba has spent the entire season looking as if he has eaten a wasps nest for dessert, whilst Fernando Torres looks like a man trying in vain to justify a £50 million price tag. In truth, second place to Manchester United is no shameful feat given the experience of Sir Alex, Giggs and Scholes, the fortress like spirit of Ferdinand and Vidic, and the potency of Rooney and Hernandez. United have the opportunity to prove their worth having been criticised profusely throughout the season in a Champions League showdown against Barcelona.

We must however consider who are the real winners of this rollercoaster season? The answer is of course Everton and Bolton. The only two sides who have neither over or under achieved, do not have a ridiculous European campaign to prepare for over the summer, and may well be about to make a windfall on replaceable players such as Baines and Cahill, due to the desperation of the elite sides to bolster their soft-boiled defences. And who are the real losers? It’s difficult to call any side about to face another Premier League season a loser, but Aston Villa will feel that 6^th place to 9^th is a retraction from European hopefulness to mid-table mediocrity, even though the season has been used productively to bring through a number of talented youth prospects. Sunderland will begrudge Villa for the signing of Darren Bent, although Steve Bruce is bound to enjoy spending the fortune this summer on a strike partner for the revelation Asamoah Gyan and seeing a number of first team players return from injury. Finally, Sunderland’s North East neighbours face their own striking crisis, and have an equally full bank account after the astronomical sale of Andy Carroll to Liverpool in January 2011. The second season after their shock exit from the Premier League may prove to be a vital one for Newcastle; will they once again challenge the cream of English football, or will they kid themselves into believing that they are too big for their boots, and potentially suffer the same fate as last year’s over-achievers Birmingham City?

WInter Update!

The Winter break and a busy festive period awaits which as always marks a half-way mark in the local season. For the my fellow Lizards and I it's been a good term, a mixed bag of course, but all in all a good term. This is a really quick summary of the season so far and the positives / negatives we were able to take out of each week in terms of football and life itself.

And so it began...

With a hard fought 3-0 victory over Team Punishment after a pre-season riddled with highs and lows. Goals from Rumble, Dawson and yours truly still failed to overshadow an impregnable display from Harper in goal which earned our eternal respect and spread confidence throughout the side. Good week, good start.

An emotional weekend...

For myself it was certainly this. As I lay haplessly in bed on the other side of the Atlantic nursing a terrible New York karoke hangover for which I was condemned for constantly in the press; the Lizards did battle with Woo Woo and emerged triumphant thanks to goals from Dawson (2) and Captain for the day, Bloomfield. It's always good to know that ones comrades can conduct themselves successfully in your own absence. However I returned from the U.S not the peace and tranquility that I had left, but to reports of indulgence, disrepute and chaos. It appeared that whilst my absence had been a non-event of the pitch; it sowed the seeds of destruction within my own house of female companions which the band of idiots I call my own team corrupted, encouraged and misled their innocent souls. Good win, but shame on you all for this particular debacle.

Forgiven and forgotten...
Having been bewildered as to how such lunacy could unfold the minute I had taken my eye off the ball the previous week; I returned with my own agenda and proved my point on the pitch with 2 assists and 2 goals. My goalkeeper was painted green, my vice captain could not see anything and my defenders looked as if they were about to be sick. Harper, McRae, Bloomfield and Dawe - change! Despite apparently having a lot of cleaning up to do we beat the Rounders 6-0 with Dawson (2), McRae and Bloomfield adding to my own brace. Unfortunately this was followed by broken glasses, raucus chanting and scenes of total mayhem in the Soak afterwards - once again proving that the drinking culture of the Lizards may well be their downfall.

What goes around comes around...

Having handed out a couple of wallopings and been a little arrogant in light of the seeming ability to turn up still drunk and still win - it was time for us to be brought colliding back with Planet Earth by Outer Milan. Well Matt couldn't see anything because he was so drunk, Bloomfield still couldn't talk properly, and I couldn't see breathe - and you need to be able to in order to play football which is the big lesson we learned this weekend. 5-1 was the final score with Rumble and myself legitimising claims over our own imparred vision with a rash display of finishing and our fitness levels led to a total capitulation which meant Bloomfields goal was all but consolation.

The lowest ebb

It was a bizare game of football this one - I can't remember being that hungover although there is a chance that someone was. Yes they were it was McRae now I remember, which explains why the pair of us had such howlers. We weren't the worst performers on the pitch though - that title was awarded to a referee who had no idea that an indirect freekick means that the ball has to move before someone smashes it into the corner and claims it as some kind of genius. Not happy bunnies after this one - but we got our heads down and...

GOT TOTALLY WASTED IN OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY!

Yes, yes, yes I was out of my head in Blackpool the night before, Matt the same in Newcastle the only one of us who really looked sober was ironically Bloomfield who played a stormer and scored as we earned a solid 1-0 with me as a makeshift goalkeeper. Was carnage on the streets of Birmingham which meant most of us were late for the game and were quoted by the vice captain as having "not enough" players. Still had a nice quiet, chilled evening after the game and looked like a football team once again - when we were finally all present and correct.

Back to winning ways before Christmas!


Good performance from the boys- 2 clinical finishes from Dawson, nice goal from McRae, cheeky one from yours truly. No one too battered the night before apart from me and Bloomfield who in an unfortunate set of circumstances were seen walking through the university at 2.30am in the morning with traffic cones on our heads. I maintain that I used effective leadership skills by dragging him away from a steam roller which he had really set his heart on driving into a wall. Issue yes, good win yes, problems no!

Merry Christmas boys!

The Magic of Magico

I’ve been grounded in full flow too many times by the question; ‘Who is the greatest player ever to have lived?’ Having done some research and watched the video listed below I am no longer flummoxed. One man won the acclaim Diego Maradona in such a profound manner the great Argentine admitted that he was a better play than either Pele or himself. This man never played for a big club or won big trophies. Nor was he from one of the world’s great footballing nations. On the contrary it is the Central American country El Salvador which produced the world’s most entertaining, enigmatic and truly unique of all talents. In El Salvador’s humiliating World Cup campaign of 1982 despite losing every game including one 10-1 loss against Hungary, their number 11 somehow made the team of the tournament among the likes of Zico and Rummenigge.

Jorge Gonzalez became known as Magico during his time at Cadiz, a second string Spanish side for a very good reason. The man was truly and simply a magician with a football. The greats have emulated Magico left, right and centre since his retirement without even knowing he had influenced them. If you thought Henry was the leading light of cutting in from the left, opening up and passing the ball in with his right, think again! If you’d never seen the Rooney chip with no backlift whatsoever – Magico used to score free kicks like that if the keeper was a yard or so off his line! Ever seen the famous ‘Elastico’ faint most notably used by Ronaldinho in a Nike advert some years ago? Magico invented it!

Unfortunately there is a reason why Jorge Gonzalez never got his chance to show the world what a special talent he was alongside team mates who would have complimented his insane skills. If you thought George Best and Paul Gascoigne were prime examples of footballer’s with a lack of social discipline and drink problems – again Magico gives them both a good run for their money. Being from El Salvador when Magico got his move to Spain he had never seen anything quite like it. He had been given a sniff of foreign night life in Mexico during his nation’s world cup campaign and his behaviour there had warned off interest from Barcelona or Real for the enigma’s services. Whilst Athletico Madrid competed desperately, he plumped for Cadiz where he would proceed to seduce as many women as he scored goals, and go out a hell of a lot more than he ever trained.

It is one of the accepted opinions among many footballers including the likes of Pele and Diego that had Magico been Argentine or Brazilian he would have been the undisputed best. The life of a footballer unfortunately overwhelmed Magico a little more than even he could overwhelm us with his skills. However much he lost his way, and however much he wasted his talent – he gave it a bloody good go. Watch this!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMemVOhSLRw

The Duel

Arguably the most competitive league in the world has lived up to expectation in the first five rounds of the calendar. However the war of words between fellow managers regarding hard tackles and gamesmanship has stolen the limelight from some of the great football that has already been played and numerous magnificent goals. Two schools have developed in the English game. The Arsene Wenger way which defines football as an exhibition of talent in which the game is as much about entertainment as competition and the job of the referee is to protect those players who provide us with the highest quality show. In the other corner we have the Sam Allardyce theory which advocates a more rough and ready approach to the game. A culture of working with what you have and seeking level ground with rich, star studied opponents by means of hard work and determination.

Recently a strange phenomenon has occurred regarding the club closest to my heart. Wolves have received praise for the last three seasons now for playing attractive football and priding themselves on a squad consisting of young, hungry and mainly British players who have at times punched above their weight. However on 28th August 2010 I witnessed the fixture which appears to have tarnished McCarthy’s Wolves’ reputation in a mere ninety minutes in a game against Newcastle which I can only describe as total war. The game resulted in no less than twelve yellow cards being brandished and most notably was the midfield duel between Karl Henry and Joey Barton which various media sources enjoyed highlighting as an example of good old fashioned football at its finest. Henry was since involved in an incident with Fulham’s Bobby Zamora which resulted in the England international falling terribly on his ankle, sidelining him until February 2011 at least. Although pundits have dismissed any malice in Henry’s tackle it would appear certain newspaper’s particularly London based sources are hinting at the skipper’s role in Zamora’s injury. A notable example is the quote ‘Bobby Zamora was carried off in agony following a crunching challenge by Wolves captain Karl Henry.’ Whilst Henry may well have tried his luck at provoking the controversial Joey Barton on his own patch – he won the ball in the challenge with Zamora and was distraught to see him go down the way he did.

It appears to be a trend in football in recent times that every week we see horrific injuries resulting from fairly routine challenges. One of our focal points Arsene Wenger has suffered the loss of players such as Eduardo, Diaby and Ramsey to long term injuries and made no bones about blaming their misfortune on the recklessness of his opponents. Allardyce on the other side of the coin has accused Wenger of insighting fear towards referees who are chosen to handle games involving sides such as Arsenal as if the Frenchman’s words burden them with a moral responsibility to the safety of his player’s welfare which is not really fair.

The question is, who is right and who is wrong? I think we can see both sides of the coin. Nobody wants to see promising young players injured for long periods of time and face career threatening fractures at the hands of reckless challenges. He may dislike it but Wenger’s men can mix it up themselves as I witnessed myself at Molineux last year. Aaron Ramsey and Abou Diaby both came close themselves to injuring Wolves’ players with two footed tackles which went unpunished by the media or the referee, the most shocking of which ironically on Karl Henry himself. Football is still a contact sport and in order to compete one must sometimes be physical which of course has its dangers. It is the referee’s duty for sure that he ensures dangerous challenges are suitably punished so as to ensure all 22 players on the pitch are protected by consistent rules. Despite this, it is our duty as fans to ensure that we do not slip into an environment where a player is vilified for winning the ball.

Prem Players to watch

A week and a half away from the start of the season; let us speculate.

Theo Walcott (Arsenal)

We obviously all know who this young winger is but his campaign last year was one he'd rather forget. Theo scored only 4 goals in all competitions and injury setbacks saw him struggle to hold down a run in Arsene Wenger's first XI. Despite this we could well see the young Gunner prove his worth this season especially with the added motivation of proving to fans around the country why he shouldn't have stayed at home this summer. With his electrifying pace and direct style Walcott may also be key to adding some much needed variety to Arsenal's stylish but often unpenetrative attack.

Javier Hernandez (Man United)

I must confess that before this transfer and the World Cup Javier had slipped through my usually sad, watchful eye on world football! A lot of noise has come from Old Trafford about this lad's potential not least from the legendary Bobby Charlton. If Sir Bobby says a player is two footed, he's two footed - becaused he didn't know the meaning of the phrase 'weak foot' during his playing days. With 9 goals in 16 international appearances at the age of 22. This sharp looking poacher could well be what United need to be bringing off the bench or indeed starting with Wayne Rooney in their challenge to Chelsea's Premier League title.

Steven Fletcher (Wolves)

We're at the lower end of the scale here but one player who surprised many last year was Burnley's Steven Fletcher who in a relegated side notched up 12 goals in all competitions. The mobile forward will be pairing with the exciting Kevin Doyle who himself is a star in the making and approaching his peak should he be angling for a big money move. In what I would like to think was a slightly more creative side than The Clarets the Shrewsbury born Scotsman could turn a few heads should he score the goals that the Molineux faithful saw very little of last season in their successful survivial campaign.

Graham Dorrans (West Brom)

The PFA Championship Player of the Year last year will bid to make the step up and lead Albion to survivial in the Premiership after bouncing back convincingly after relegation in 2009. He scored 13 goals for the Baggies last year and is noted for being a set piece specialist and a composed figure in their otherwise strong midfield. Dorrans is one of a couple exciting young midfielders in this side with Christ Brunt and James Morrison alongside him. What Albion lack is a man to put the ball in the net and make the most of the good service they provide. Without that, Dorrans may still find it difficult to be noticed at the top level.

Jerome Boateng (Man City)

I'm going to stick my neck out and say that the German international will be the pick of Man City's summer signings despite the millions they have spent and will spend. The modern defender will sustain City's defence due to his ability to cope with the physical side of the Premier League and being born and raised in Germany will pay its dividends when it comes to meeting with the standard of composure and footballing competence required. Mancini wasted no time in snapping up the former Hamburg defender who can play confidently at full back or centre half. Ironically Boateng could be compared with City's own Micah Richards - the advantage he has over Micah is his ability to play regularly without the plague of injury.

Revolution or Reprisal?

In Roy Hodgson Liverpool have employed their first British boss since Roy Evans departed Anfiled in 1998 and opinions on his appointment are inevitably varied. It appears to potentially mark a step backwards in terms of the club's ongoing treasure hunt and a decision based on business rather than ambition. Despite these claims there are reasons for Reds to be optimistic regarding Roy's reign and if his early movement in the transfer market states anything; its ambition.

The immediate sales of Albert Riera and Fabio Aurelio plus the lack of zeal to fend off any moves for Javier Mascherano indicate Hodgson's will to change. It is likely that the so called 'Spanish Armada' assembled by predecessor Rafael Benitez will be dismantled further as old favourites such as Lucas (Brazilian) and Insua (Argentinian) may fall out of favour. The signing of Joe Cole and near-signing of Luke Young also define a particular transfer policy from Hodgson as well as meaning Liverpool should have no problems with the new regulations regarding the home-grown players, etc. Ambition does not always have to involve a £150m bank loan.

Whilst I believe Hodgson's mission statement may well be to stabilise the clubs financial future by slashing the wage bill and signing youth he won't last five minutes at Anfield unless he teases the fans with the prospect of silverware. With that said the former Internazionale boss dragged a Fulham side built on a shoe string to the UEFA Cup final last year and Liverpool's European record is of course second to none. The 4th spot is vital for the Reds not least for the pomp of the Champions League but also the money.

Gillette and Hicks deflected the negative attention from Benitez last season and purist scousers don't lie down to easily. Hodgson isn't a youthful maverick these days but he may well be the man Reds will reel around to end the reign of the American tyrants. His matter of fact attitude may just be what the internal politics are missing since the absence of former assistant-manager Phil Thompson. In Liverpool's post-modernist age it may be time to embrace their English roots once more rather than rebel against them and 'Keep Things Scouse'.

The impact of a new manager can be profound and we have seen time and time again different bosses getting different results with the same personnel. At Fulham Hodgson  managed to coax stable runs of form out of players typically ravaged by injury such as Damien Duff and Simon Davies. People conveniently forget that Liverpool's dangerman spent large periods of last year sat in the stands and whilst he appears set to start the new season in them; Roy's apparent healing touch could hand Liverpool a lifeline in one of Europe's most prolific marksmen.

Roy brings little in romance but much in experience. Whether statues of him are going to be erected of him opposite the Shankly Gates I'm not sure. However in a footballing recession when your business is bust a steady head is indespensible. As far as I'm concerned what Hodgson as inherited are the ashes of a great phoenix. Time will tell what rises from them.