tenthreeleader Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 Nice fix, Thomaz. If you have them, records would be good to go along with the table positions, but that certainly helps. As does the teaser for the next match. Continuing to read with interest. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomaz Posted July 16, 2009 Author Share Posted July 16, 2009 TTL I will use the progress method for next weeks matches as I had already wrote all the match reports this weekend and didn't want to have to go back in and edit all the set up! Still thinking how to set up the progress of the teams at the start of the matches anyway... -------------- With not too many fans leaving their seats at half time, the eagerness for the second half to begin was ever present. Picking a better side for the first half was difficult in the Sky studios, but most predicted that Arsenal would come out on top in the second period. Liverpool emerged for the second half first, with Arsenal coming out a minute later. The huddles occurred again, as the home side kicked off the second half. Inside the first minute, Arsenal had surged forward and Fabregas' superb pass found van Persie on the right side of the penalty area, but after letting the ball roll across him, bent his left foot curling drive well over the bar. Applause rang round the ground to insight more attacks and belief. Liverpool had started the half cautiously and were not powering forward like in the first half. They kept the ball tidily and didn't break when they won the ball from an Arsenal attack. The game was turning somewhat sour and dull, until the 56th minute. Kuyt was fed down the right by Mascherano and he evaded Clichy. He crossed to the near post where Gerrard was steaming in and the England midfielder inexplicably blasted a half volley from 6 yards straight at Almunia when it looked easier to score. Gasps went up, as the first real test on Arsenal's defence almost broke them. Moments later Arsenal managed to force a corner. Fabregas whipped it in from the left and Adebayor met it at the front post. His flick toward the far post proved fruitless, as the ball looped harmlessly over. Clearly Tyler and Gray had an interesting angle of view, as a light shriek from Gray went up as the ball looked as though it was dipping into the corner. The game had opened up now as both sides sensed an opportunity. Both managers were now in the dugout though, clearly confident that their side could engage the instructions given. On the hour, Nasri collected the ball on the edge of the box after a penalty area scramble. His attempts to find the far corner were futile though as the ball looped just past the right hand post. Frustration was seeping into play for the players now though, as Arsenal made a double change. Adebayor and van Persie being replaced by Eduardo and Vela respectively. Both players trudged off in surprise, Adebayor refusing to acknowledge the claps of the home fans who were clearly not happy, a fair few seemed to be booing as the final half hour of the game was entered. Arsenal had had their chances though, most of them blocked shots from the edge of the area, but their inability to make it into the box for a chance was concerning. The change had baffled a view, and rightly so as Arsenal struggled to maintain shape. Vela had dropped as the deeper striker with Eduardo playing on the defensive line. Their movement was limited though, and neither of them had the height or strength of Adebayor and van Persie as Arsenal seemed unable to make their presence count for the next 10 minutes or so. Liverpool were looking OK, and would surely be content with a draw now. On 72 minutes a host of changes were made, as Arsenal made their last and Liverpool 2. Arshavin replaced Nasri for the home side, with Liverpool bringing on Aurelio for Dossena and Lucas for Mascherano. The changes were unable to ignite a change in the fortunes of either side, as persistent attacks from both teams were breaking down in the final third of the pitch, much to the frustration of Wenger, who was chewing gum feverishly, and the general viewing public who were not watching a classic. Torres planted fear in the hearts of the Arsenal faithful on 79 minutes as he picked up Gerrard's pass 40 yards from goal. He took on Silvestre and got past him and was in on goal, but the Spaniard opted for a shot from 30 odd yards which landed safely in the hands of Almunia. Liverpool sat deep now and didn't want to move as Arsenal threw caution to the wind. Balls were played to the feet of Vela but his attempts to find another player were always halted by Lucas or substitute Darby who closed him down urgently. Fabregas was trundling around not looking best interested and had gone missing for the most part. Eduardo looked isolated, and no penetration from the wings meant Arsenal were unable to make a chance on goal. The end of the match drew nearer, as 3 minutes were added. Dead on the 90th, a run down the right from Kuyt ended in a cross toward the back post. There waited Torres, who controlled the ball well as the fear struck every Gunner across the land that he was about to stick it home. He took another tough though, and then another, as Toure forced him wide when ideally the Spaniard should have lashed home first time. The 92nd minute saw Eboue's deep cross get flicked on by Aurelio by accident. Lucas tried to collect the ball but he missed and Denilson controlled the ball first and was facing goal. He was 12 yards away with a great chance. Bums were off seats for Arsenal fans, as a smacking of seats hitting backrests could be heard all around the stadium. Denilson steadied himself, and sent his curling effort inches over the far top corner of post and crossbar. Agony, as that was the chance. Angry groans as people sat back in their seat, Wenger looked dejected, Benitez relieved. Still time for one more heart stopping moment as Arsenal fans had seen enough, as Lucas' 30 yard pass found Gerrard past the 2 Arsenal central defenders, but surging on in goal, he was halted by the linesman flag, quite late though. With Toure launching the free kick forward, the final whistle was blown and boos could be heard loud and clear. Benitez and Wenger didn't meet eyes but made a brief handshake as the French of the 2 walked off down the tunnel shaking his head. Arsenal players barely responded to the crowd reaction and trudged off, further frustrated as their poor start continued. Arsenal 0 – 0 Liverpool Wenger: “Now is not the time to worry, now is the time to be pro-active and see what can be done to turn this around. I do not blame my players entirely as we have a very good team here but you have to ask yourself why this continues. Liverpool are a good team but we don't care who we play we need a win from somewhere and until you get it, it is very frustrating.” Benitez: “I am happy, I think a point is a fair result and a result we can be happy with. On the subject of Arsenal I believe they will turn this around, it can't last forever, they have a quality side and a world class manager so it will change but people need to remember how early in the season it is. As for us, we have a game in hand still, though it matters little at this point, every point on the table counts." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomaz Posted July 17, 2009 Author Share Posted July 17, 2009 Monday, 22nd September. | Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | | Chelsea | | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 1 | +13 | 15 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | | Man Utd | | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | +12 | 15 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | Man City | | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 3 | +8 | 13 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | Everton | | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 5 | +1 | 9 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | | Hull | | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 9 | -3 | 9 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | | Bolton | | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 8 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | | Liverpool | | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 2 | +4 | 7 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8th | | Aston Villa | | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 7 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9th | | Blackburn | | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 7 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10th | | Fulham | | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 7 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 11th | | Tottenham | | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 6 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 12th | | Burnley | | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 9 | -5 | 6 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 13th | | Sunderland | | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 9 | -5 | 6 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 14th | | Portsmouth | | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | -1 | 5 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 15th | | West Ham | | 5 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 4 | -2 | 4 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 16th | | Wigan | | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 7 | -3 | 4 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 17th | | Birmingham | | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 7 | -5 | 4 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 18th | | Arsenal | | 5 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | -2 | 3 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 19th | | Wolves | | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 11 | -10 | 1 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 20th | | Stoke | | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 10 | -7 | 0 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| Weekend results: Wolverhampton Wanderers 1 – 1 Bolton Wanderers Birmingham City 1 – 1 Manchester City Fulham 0 – 0 Blackburn Rovers Wigan Athletic 0 – 1 Hull City Manchester United 3 – 0 Stoke City Sunderland 1 – 0 Tottenham Hotspur Burnley 1 – 2 Aston Villa Everton 0 – 2 Chelsea West Ham United 0 – 0 Portsmouth Arsenal 0 – 0 Liverpool Tuesday, 23rd September. The only Carling Cup fixture of the evening saw Man City run out 2-1 winners against Leeds at Eastlands. After Arsenal’s poor start, club legend Ian Wright felt the need to express his views on it in an article in the Daily Mirror. ‘Arsenal will turn it round’ Says Wright. The Gunners’ poor start has been well documented. With just 3 points from their opening 5 games, the rally cry is that they will be unable to win the title already. Manchester United and Chelsea have got off to immaculate starts and even Manchester City are tipped to challenge the top spots after their good start. However, Arsenal legend Ian Wright, who scored 185 goals in 288 appearances in their colours insists that it’s too early to get on the backs of the team and to rite off Arsenal. “It’s a bit of an odd thing having a poor start to the league” he said, “we usually start strong, but for some reason it hasn’t gone right this time around. I don’t think you can blame Wenger for this, it’s down to poor finishing on the players’ parts. We’ve controlled these games but not put the chances away and that fault lies with the strikers. It's too early to panic anyway, it's 5 games.” Many have also questioned Wenger’s tactical decisions, a point ever emphasised in the Hull game where they lost 3-2 and a very inexperienced side was put out. “I think the reasoning for that was due to the Champions League game during the week,” said Wright. “It was an odd decision to put out such a weakened team though but it shows how much faith he has in his team that he can put out that kind of squad.” Suggestions had also been made about his substitutions during the Liverpool game, and Wright believes the decisions smelled of desperation. “He’s a smart man, Wenger. But when you have 2 apparent world class players up front and neither of them are scoring you want to do something. I don’t think bringing on Eduardo and Vela would change anything but some things work and others don’t, this time it didn’t.” On the whole, though, Wright believes Arsenal will turn it round. “It’s only a matter of time. It’s not like they’re defending poorly or not controlling games. They just can’t score, which is a surprise as it’s not usually an issue for us. It’s about picking up that first win which will march us back up the league and on Saturday we have Blackburn away, which will be difficult, but I think we can muster a win from that game and march onwards.” Arsenal currently sit 18th. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomaz Posted July 17, 2009 Author Share Posted July 17, 2009 Wednesday, 24th September. Carling Cup action saw Arsenal edge out Tottenham at White Hart Lane. Coventry shocked Bolton with a 1-0 win at the Ricoh Arena, whereas Sunderland, Portsmouth, Villa, and Liverpool also progressed. Etherington: “First Win Comes On Saturday” Stoke City winger Matthew Etherington has issued a rallying call to the Potters faithful as they look for their first win of the campaign. Birmingham travel to the Britannia on Saturday, as Etherington looks to explain their poor start; “We're all disappointed with our start, but it's second season expectancy getting to us I think. There are nerves going into every game and I think with the expectation of doing better as well it makes it difficult. We're a decent side though and we shouldn't be at the bottom, although we have played Everton, Man City and Man United already which are no easy games.” The ex-Spurs and West Ham player believes the club will turn it around come Saturday though, although he admits it won't be easy; “We're at home, we've got the crowd behind us, on paper it's our most straight forward game thusfar and people will say 'well you shouldn't be that cocky' but we need to be. We are Stoke and we are an established Premier League team, we have to believe we will win these games and I do believe we will triumph on Saturday. We are strong and determined to turn things around but Birmingham will be tough to play against as they have a good team too so we need to be at our best to win.” Etherington joined Stoke from West Ham last January in a 2.5m deal. Thursday, 25th September. Moneybags Man City Make Merry Manchester City spent a whopping 91m in transfer fees this summer, with more money expected to be spent in January. The team have done well with their new acquisitions though, as they sit 3rd in the Premier League with 13 points from a possible 15. The new signings included Yury Zhirkov and Vagner Love from Moscow, Srna and Fernandinho from Shakhtar, Coliccini from Newcastle, Valencia from Wigan, and Palombo from Sampdoria. Their squad has swelled to 30 strong members as they try to assault the illusive top 4. So far they have done well, with impressive results against Hull and Liverpool. They face Fulham at home on Sunday, who have made a decent start, but they are not expected to be able to handle the quality of a Manchester City side, who according to managing director Simon Pearce, are expected to spend more money in January; “Plenty of money has been spent but there's more to come. We have a top class team here but it can and will be improved. Mark Hughes has identified targets for January already and we will start dealing for these players come December. The board are immensely pleased with the start made but we expect it to continue.” Rumours are rife that City are after Arteta of Everton, Defour of Standard Liege, and Marek Hamsik of Napoli. Rumours were also flying round that Fulham defender Brede Hangeland was close to moving to Lazio, and Liverpool were close to a takeover by a new consortium. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomaz Posted July 17, 2009 Author Share Posted July 17, 2009 Friday, 26th September. News broke early on this chilly morning that Ben Downes had successfully completed his takeover of Liverpool, replacing Tom Hicks. The story had been on tenterhooks for weeks with rumours flying round the takeover was dead, but Liverpool announced the takeover completed at 7am. Financial backing was certain, but turmoil is likely to unfold at Anfield with rumours that Downes will want to replace current manager Rafa Benitez. According to the News of the World, Downes has had strong business links with Italy in the past and is believed to want to install Roberto Mancini as new Liverpool manager. Downes spoke of his delight of the takeover on the clubs official website; “It's great to have it all sorted and I can promise Liverpool fans the future of the club is in good hands. We are now very stable financially, ensuring the clubs long term future, and now we can move toward success. The new stadium shall be persisted with along with other developments as we look to take Liverpool to the top as they once were.” Team news for the following weekend games came to fruition, with excitement on the agenda. Aston Villa v Manchester United Villa have a fully fit squad for the visit of Manchester United, who have Gary Neville returning but Nani (facial injury) is out. O'Neill: “In these times it's important to stay focussed and to have belief. These games are always tough but you can always take these teams by surprise. Like last season we beat Arsenal at their place and put in some good performances against the top four so hopefully we can do that tomorrow and we'll get something out of the game.” Ferguson: “I don't want to talk about Liverpool or what's happened to them or whatever, my focus is on my team. Nani is out unfortunately but we have Neville returning so that helps us. I'm fully aware of how tough it is to go to a place like Aston Villa but we know what to expect and I expect us to win.” -------- Blackburn Rovers v Arsenal Blackburn are still without Santa Cruz (broken arm) and Warnock (suspended). Duda (knee ligaments) will miss out as well. Arsenal are still without Walcott (cruciate ligaments) but otherwise are fully fit as Gallas returns to action. Allardyce: “Well people said we'd miss Roque (Santa Cruz) but we've done well without him so far and I believe Benni McCarthy and Derbyshire or even Roberts can step up to the plate and get us goals. We're creating a lot recently, and playing well, but not necessarily getting the results we should. Tomorrow should be a good test.” Wenger: “Today we are ready. We know what we need to do and we are more determined than ever to win this game. Blackburn have done quite well but we are strong and full of confidence. I expect us to win tomorrow, and win well. That is all I have to say.” -------- Bolton Wanderers v Sunderland Bolton have Goian and Hunt returning but Taylor (thigh) and Joey O'Brien (also thigh) will miss out. Jones and Collins return for Sunderland, but Tainio (groin strain), Leadbitter (elbow), and Healy (dead leg) will miss the game at the Reebok. Megson: “There's always a concern when you're missing players but I don't think it's a major one. Matty (Taylor) and Joey (O'Brien) are good players but we have a squad of good players here and we have individuals who can fill their spot. Should be a good match tomorrow but we're playing well and I think we'll edge it.” Jones: “It's a pain when two key players in Jones and Collins go out and then as they come back Leadbitter and Healy are out. We haven't had a settled line-up so far this season and it's hampering our settling in faze I think. We got our second win of the season last week against a good Spurs team and we face a good Bolton side tomorrow. Will be a tough test, and I would be content with a point.” -------- Chelsea v Burnley Terry looks set to miss out again for Chelsea with a neck injury still hampering his return. For Burnley, Thompson (neck) looks a doubt along with Gow (ill) and Whittingham (gashed arm). Van Basten: “I know never to take these games for granted. We are better than them yes but this is now, we do not know how they will play tomorrow, they could be brilliant. I am aware of some of the players they have at their disposal, people like Eagles and McCann are talented players and if Burnley play well these players will be crucial to that so we need to make sure we are on top of them.” Coyle: “I don't fear these games I love them, they are why we come to the Premier League, to pit our wits against the big boys. It's always an exciting challenge and because the pressure is off it helps you enjoy it more as well as the players. Tactically we need to be organised and efficient, but they can still punish you so we really do need to be at our best to get anything.” -------- Hull City v West Ham United Hull still have Palermo (thigh strain) and Kilbane (ankle) out. Turner is a fresh injury worry with fractured ribs. Cousin may return. For West Ham, Davenport (hamstring) remains out with Upson (foot), Faubert (ankle) and Boa Morte (broken arm) all missing too. Behrami could return to action. Brown: “We sit fifth after five games which is very good considering where we were predicted to go this season. We've won our last two games, against Arsenal and Wigan, two tough sides with good players so it shows how strong we have been so far. We're at home to a side who haven't won yet so it's important we maintain that run for them!” Zola: “The fact we haven't won doesn't hang over my head really. It is still so early and we have only lost one game so there is no need to panic. I would like a win soon though, I don't really want to be eight or ten games in without a win as then you know where you might be headed. Tomorrow will be very hard game and we have players missing which makes it all the tougher.” Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomaz Posted July 18, 2009 Author Share Posted July 18, 2009 Liverpool v Wigan Athletic Liverpool remain without Cavalieri, but otherwise are injury free. Watson returns for Wigan, but Kapo (shoulder) remains out. Benitez: “I do not want to answer any questions regarding the takeover. I will tell you I do not know where I stand but I have no reason to believe I will be pushed out of the job. My focus is on tomorrow, we have a home game to Wigan, a game I expect us to win. We still have that game in hand as well which does us a favour. We have made a good start as well, I see no need for change.” Bruce: “Last week does still sting a bit to be honest. It was a soft penalty and we've lost because of it but we want to put that right, but when your next game is against Liverpool away you know it will be very difficult to do that. I do not expect miracles from my players, I only expect one hundred percent effort and that way we can say we tried our best.” -------- Manchester City v Fulham (Sunday) For the home side, Zhirkov looks set to return along with Given. Vagner Love remains out with a wrist injury and Hamann still has spinal issues. Fulham have no injury worries ahead of the trip to Eastlands. Hughes: “I always look forward to the home games, especially now. We are very good at home, our quality players can strut their stuff and we score some very good goals. It''s good to see Zhirkov back for us and Given may return as well so we're slowly on the mend which can only make things better for us.” Hodgson: “Brede Hangeland has never come to me and said he wants to leave. I don't know of any interest, and neither does he. It's silly to have transfer rumours pop up in September when the window has just closed, the focus should now be on the league and how teams are doing with the business they already did. We have a trip to Manchester on Sunday, that's where I'm looking and so should you all.” -------- Portsmouth v Wolverhampton Wanderers Portsmouth are still without Utaka (knee) and Nugent with the same injury. Glen Johnson will miss out as he starts his suspension. Wolves have Albin possibly returning, but other than that they are fresh. Hart: “The chairman hasn't said anything specific to me, no, but I'm still here aren't I? He told me he wants me to stay on that is all he has said. I don't know whether that means for the meantime or the future but I'm just focussing on my job at hand now and it's a lot easier for me to answer questions about the forthcoming game than about this. By the way, we play Wolves tomorrow!” McCarthyb: “We got our first goal and point last week so the mood in training was much better. There's a belief about the place now and we couldn't wait for this game to come up. We know it will be difficult but we aren't fazed by the whole thing. I tried something different last week and it worked, we'll try it again this time and hopefully we'll have something to cheer about again.” -------- Stoke City v Birmingham City Stoke still have Jarosik (thigh strain) out and Fuller joins him with a groin strain. Whelan could return but unlikely. Birmingham have Queudrue still out with a sprained ankle and Jerome out with a twisted knee. Liam Ridgewell will miss out with a pulled hamstring, David Murphy could return. Pulis: “We focussed a lot on this game this week. All the talk was about it and now it's time to deliver on pitch. We're at home, we know our pitch and our fans will do well so it's important we meet that half way and give it a good go. There is a feeling around us that one win will spur us on to more straight after.” McLeish: “I don't take their start into account to be honest with you. I still find it laughable people are prepared to judge this early on, there's such a long way to go. We will treat this game like any other away game, it will be tough and the players need to be at their best. We need to match them physically and mentally, and hope the result goes our way.” -------- Tottenham Hotspur v Everton (Sunday) Spurs still have Bentley out with a back injury. Gilberto is a doubt with a damaged elbow and Hutton misses out through suspension. Everton still have Saha (groin) and Yakubu (hamstring) out but Osman is expected to feature. Redknapp: “My only home defeat in the league last season came against Everton in a one nil loss. We know how good they are and what they possess and it helps they have two good strikers missing. We still have Bentley missing and Hutton is suspended but we're strong enough to win and I think provided no hiccups we will.” Moyes: “I think you can see how open this campaign will be, I mean we're fourth despite having lost twice already so it's interesting to see how things will develop. I do worry about our lack of firepower up front but it's up to the backup players to come in and do a job now. We lacked that presence up front against Chelsea last week and we don't want that again on Sunday as Spurs will punish us.” Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomaz Posted July 18, 2009 Author Share Posted July 18, 2009 Saturday, 27th September. The day was set for more football action, as Stoke and Birmingham kicked off the first game of the day 12:45pm Stoke City v Birmingham City Stoke were tipped to take all 3 points in this game, but Birmingham would be looking to push on for their second 3 points this season as well. [u]| Pos | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts |[/u] | 20th | Stoke | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 10 | -7 | 0 | | 17th | Birmingham | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 7 | -5 | 4 | Previous results Stoke: Lost 0 – 3 to Man United Birmingham: Drew 1 – 1 with Manchester City Stoke (4-4-2) Sorensen, Valera, Abdoulaye Faye, Shawcross, Griffin, Lawrence, Delap, Amdy Faye, Pugh, Sidibe, Cresswell. Subs: Simonsen, Wilkinson, Davies, Diao, Kitson, Sonko, Cort. Birmingham (4-4-2) Maik Taylor, Kelly, Pearce, Martin Taylor, Murphy, Galletti, Carsley, Larsson, McSheffrey, Phillips, McFadden. Subs: Doyle, Tom, Johnson, Bent, Parnaby, Fahey, Shroot. ------------ Stoke kicked off the game at the Britannia, with the expectation being that their pointless run would come to an end today. It was Birmingham who started the stronger, though, as Carsley's simple pass into the path of Phillips found the striker almost in on goal. His drive from just inside the box was held well by Sorensen though. Liam Lawrence's long range effort on 7 minutes was well held by Taylor, before Shawcross' last ditch tackle prevented Phillips from closing in goal again. On 13 minutes the game veered into the favour of Birmingham as they kept the pressure up. Carsley's snap shot inside the box was well parried by Sorensen, before a break down the Stoke right saw McSheffrey surging forward, and his perfectly placed cross found Kevin Phillips at the back post and the veteran striker buried the ball into the back of the net from 7 yards out to give the away side the lead. It was all to-a familiar story for Stoke, who again found themselves under pressure from the home support. They needn't have been concerned for long though, as Stoke drew level 3 minutes later. Sidibe picked the ball up 25 yards from goal but was shoved over by Martin Taylor on the spot, and a free kick was given. Up stepped Liam Lawrence, who bent a superb right foot strike in off the left post and into the back of the net to send Stoke fans into raptures. A superb goal at a good moment as they hit back almost instantly. Birmingham weren't rattled though, and on 20 minutes could have had a penalty when McFadden was seemingly tripped by Faye, but nothing given by the match officials. Shortly after, a superb Galletti run down the right was halted by another excellent Shawcross challenge as Birmingham looked to reinstate their advantage. Stoke managed to pile their way back into control though, as on 29 minutes left winger Pugh controlled a beautiful cross from Lawrence at the back post, but despite making space for himself, dragged his shot wide. Moments later Sidibe tried his luck from outside the box, but it sailed over the bar. Stoke continued to press Birmingham back, and late in the half Amdy Faye tried his luck from a free kick 35 yards from goal but it flew over without troubling Taylor. Stoke were content with the first half scoreline, but would want to press on in the second period. The second half started brightly, and within just 2 minutes Larsson struck a good effort from distance toward goal that Sorensen did well to turn behind. Larsson again had a chance just moments later as he found space in the box, but scuffed his shot and Sorensen was able to push the ball clear when it should have probably been a goal. Pugh surged forward just after for Stoke, but dragged his shot from the edge of the box well wide. On 58 minutes, a free kick on the Birmingham right was whipped in by McSheffrey and met by McFadden at the back post. The Scot was only 4 yards from goal, but with pressure from Shawcross on him, powered his header over the bar. 10 minutes later Maik Taylor had to be on hand to hold Delap's long range drive which swerved in the air, before Griffin was replaced by Wilkinson as Stoke sensed an opportunity. The game itself was open. The football wasn't of top quality but both sides were going for it and the general feeling was that a winner had to come from somewhere. It nearly happened on 72 minutes, as James McFadden met Galletti's cross at the near post. He tried to direct his header across goal but got too stronger contact and the ball flew into the side netting, but Sorensen was hardly aware, and slightly less contact on the ball from the Birmingham striker could have diverted it in. Birmingham made a double change as time ticked down, with Johnson replacing the impressive Larsson, and goalscorer Phillips being removed for Fahey as Birmingham went on the defensive and looked content with the point. Kitson replaced Cresswell for Stoke as the Potters looked for another dimension up front. The game was drawing to a close, and on 86 minutes Delap smashed a half volley from just inside the box narrowly over. Stoke resorted to hoof tactics but Birmingham were equal to it, and rode out added on time as both sides trudged off the pitch with a point a piece. Stoke were content with their first point of the season it seemed, but this game was expected to be a home banker. Stoke City 1 – 1 Birmingham City Lawrence 16' Phillips 13' Pulis: “It's the first point so that's good but we should have won this game today. These are games we need to win if we are to shoot up the league, the home games that should always be home wins. It's disappointing we didn't take advantage of our belief and drive for this game and turn it into a win, hopefully next time it will be three points.” McLeish: “Happy with a point today, we knew they were going to come out guns blazing so to hold them at bay and, in my view, play the better football and be the better side speaks volumes about the quality we have on show here at Birmingham. I'm delighted for Kevin (Phillips) as well, he always scores goals no matter what league or team so it's great that he's back doing the business in the league he belongs in.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3pm Aston Villa v Manchester United A game predicted to produce an entertaining affair took place at Villa Park. Man United were already in competition with Chelsea, and would want 3 points today to push past them into 1st. [u]| Pos | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts |[/u] | 8th | Aston Villa | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 7 | | 2nd | Man Utd | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | +12 | 15 | Previous results Aston Villa: Won 2 – 1 against Burnley Manchester United: Won 3 – 0 against Stoke Aston Villa (4-5-1) Friedel, Luke Young, Cuellar, Davies, Bouma, Milner, Reo-Coker, Petrov, Barry, Ashley Young, Heskey. Subs: Guzan, Agbonlahor, Gudjohnsen, Knight, Carew, Sidwell, Shorey. Man Utd (4-4-2) van der Sar, Brown, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Ronaldo, Scholes, Fletcher, Giggs, Rooney, Berbatov. Subs: Foster, Campbell, Anderson, Evans, Tevez, Tosic, Neville. ------------ Aston Villa got the game underway at Villa Park to a cauldron of noise and expectancy of a great game. The early stages may have expected to be quiet, but no such thing exists when you're Manchester United. A free kick on the right was whipped into the box by Giggs. Everyone seemed to miss it, as the ball fell to Curtis Davies, but the centre half blasted his attempted clearance off the knee of Luke Young and the ball flew past Friedel and into the net to give Man United a comedic lead after just 3 minutes. United took early control, and after the ball had been pinging around the Villa half for a while, Giggs tried his luck with a volley from a tight angle, which Friedel held well. Moments later they came forward again, as Rooney drilled a low shot on the wet surface toward goal, but Friedel again got down well to hold the ball. On 15 minutes Rooney and Friedel drew swords again, but the American keeper came off best as once again he managed to hold onto his drive from outside the box. Villa finally tested the United goal on 21 minutes, as Milner curled a long range shot towards goal but the ball went just over. Moments later the away side were coming forward again, but Ronaldo's selfish run ended with a low shot from the edge of the box that rolled harmlessly wide. Villa looked to regain control of the game, as Young teased Brown down the left a few times but the England defender was equal to his national team mate every time. United looked to rest easy, and after a mazy run from Ronaldo, Cuellar did exceptionally well to slide tackle and disposes the midfielder in the Villa box as time ticked down on the half. 2 additional minutes were added at the end of the half, but the frantic opening 25 minutes or so had worn out the players as both trudged in at half time slightly weary. Man United kicked off the second half, but it was Villa who looked straight away in the ascendancy. Gareth Barry's good ball found Ashley Young in space down the right side and the winger cut inside, but his right foot strike struck the bottom of the near post and went out for a goal kick, much to the despair of the Villa faithful who thought it was in. Martin O'Neill did a little jump of excitement before his assistant coaches had to inform him the ball hadn't gone in! United looked to press on but Villa were defending well, as Cuellar and Bouma made excellent interventions to deny Rooney and Berbatov in the penalty area. On the hour, United made a few changes as Vidic was replaced by Neville and Berbatov was taken off for Tevez. Villa also had a change of personnel, as Ashley Young was replaced by Agbonlahor. The game turned scrappy, as United chose not to venture to hastily forward. The home side had changed formation, but their long balls to deceive the Man United back line were proving fruitless and the game had to wait until the 71st minute for the next chance on goal, as Reo-Coker tried his luck from 20 yards but van der Sar dived and held onto the ball well. Further changes just after, as Evra was surprisingly replaced by Evans and Villa brought on Sidwell for Reo-Coker. The changes seemed to make an instant impact on the game as in the 77th minute, the second goal of the game came. Agbonlahor's run down the right was ended by a good tackle by Evans. From the resulting corner, Barry whipped the ball in to the near post and Emile Heskey, unmarked, rose highest to divert the ball past van der Sar and into the net to bring Villa level and bring delight to the home fans. This was the first Premier League goal Manchester United had conceded this season, and it left Ferguson shaking his head and cursing under his breath as no one had kept tight on Heskey. Manchester United nearly found themselves in front again on 82 minutes, as Giggs' run down the left saw him then cross low and hard toward the near post. Davies was there to turn the ball behind, but only inches past the near post as Villa nearly conceded their second own goal of the game. Shortly after, Rooney drilled a shot from distance that Friedel was again equal to, diverting the ball over the crossbar. The game drew to a close, and with 4 minutes of additional time added, both sides were playing cautiously but both seemingly wanted the win. Within the first minute of it, Ronaldo's cross from the right was pushed away by Friedel directly into space, but fortunately for Villa Bouma reacted quicker than Tevez and managed to scramble the ball clear. With that being all any side could muster, the game ended in a draw, which neither side could be too despondent about. Aston Villa 1 – 1 Manchester United Heskey 77' Luke Young OG 3' O'Neill: “We have to look at that as a good point to get as you know it's always going to be tough against a team like Manchester United. It's a shame we conceded the goal we did so early on as it was such a silly goal to concede but these things happen and we picked ourselves up well and in the end got a point which was just about deserved.” Ferguson: “We've been the better side and I think we've been focussed for 89 minutes today. We played well, but when you concede a goal the way we did it's poor really. We have top class defenders and none of them picked up Heskey and if you don't pick him up he will punish you. Might be a respectable point but we should have won today.” Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomaz Posted July 19, 2009 Author Share Posted July 19, 2009 3pm Bolton Wanderers v Sunderland Bolton would be looking to maintain their good start, with Sunderland the visitors to the Reebok. [u]| Pos | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts |[/u] | 6th | Bolton | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 8 | | 13th | Sunderland | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 9 | -5 | 6 | Previous Results Bolton Wanderers: Drew 1 – 1 with Wolves Sunderland: Won 1 – 0 against Tottenham Bolton (4-5-1) Jaaskelainen, Hunt, Goian, Cahill, Samuel, Mota, Muamba, McCann, Fernandes, Gardner, Elmander. Sunderland (4-4-2) Gordon, Bardsley, McShane, Ferdinand, Torres, Malbranque, Whitehead, Richardson, Reid, Jones, Murphy ------------ Bolton kicked off the game, as torrential rain pounded Lancashire. Inside the first minute, Bolton showed they meant business as good build up through the middle ended with Fernandes playing a clever pass into the left side of the box for Gardner. The winger took a touch and looked to place the ball in the far corner but good reactions from keeper Gordon denied him. Bolton's shape was somewhat negative but their long ball tactics were looking slightly that way as well, as for the first few minutes, in which Bolton dominated possession, the passes were wayward and they were punished for their sloppiness 12 minutes in. Good build up from Sunderland saw Reid cross the ball from the byline in the box. The ball went across the crowded penalty area toward the edge of the 6 yard box, where Steed Malbranque was waiting. The French midfielder tucked the ball home first time to give Sunderland an early lead. Bolton changed tactics to get more options in the final third while Sunderland went defensive and the resulting changes influenced the game on 19 minutes. A great run down the left from Gardner saw the winger cross from near the corner flag. Elmander won the header 13 yards out but headed straight into Fernandes' feet, and the midfielder did well to turn and bury the ball under keeper Gordon to bring Bolton level. Bolton switched back their regular style of play and Sunderland did the same. The game took a downturn in entertainment as neither side showed any quality in getting forward. Jones and Murphy were unable to influence the game while Sunderland's passing on the slick floor was proving useless and Bolton's hoofed balls up to Elmander weren't fooling the Sunderland back line. On 27 minutes, Anton Ferdinand suffered a knock and had to be replaced by Greg Halford and once again a change in method from Sunderland changed the game, as moments later Bolton went in front. After Mota's drive from the edge of the box was well pushed away by Gordon, Bolton attacked down the right side. Hunt's deep cross went to the back post but McShane beat Gardner in the air, only to see his attempted clearance fall to the feet of nearby standing Fernandes, who took a touch before lashing a left foot effort into the top corner from 12 yards to get his and Bolton's second of the game. Sunderland tried to push back, and within minutes of going behind Murphy hit a powerful effort from the edge of the box that Jaaskelainen had to push away. Moments later it was Jones' turn to drive from just outside the penalty area, but Jaaskelainen read this one better and caught the ball easily. The game was more open now Bolton had gone ahead, and they had a chance just before the end of the half as well as Elmander's long range shot went just over the bar. 3 minutes of additional time was added, enough time for Richardson to try his luck from range and see the ball skim the top of the bar and go out for a goal kick. Half time came, and a few surprised faces were on show as the game had been more entertaining than was expected. The second half began lively, as Mota hit a 30 yard banana into the hands of Gordon before Richardson's powerful drive went narrowly over the bar. On 54 minutes Bolton really should have been 3 up, as Elmander pounced on a mistake by Gordon at the edge of the area, but he took too much time on the ball and Sunderland managed to intervene and get the ball clear. Mota was enjoying time, space, and long range efforts and once again he tried from distance, this time from 30 yards, but Gordon got up well to acrobatically turn the ball over the bar as Bolton kept up their control. Shortly after the hour mark, Bolton did get their third and seemingly put the game beyond doubt as Sunderland were thwarted inside the Bolton penalty area and the home side countered. Elmander held the ball up well near the half way line before feeding Fernandes. The midfielder surged forward, before putting Gardner through into space and the Bolton legend made no mistake one-on-one, tucking home from just inside the box. Sunderland tried to respond, but Reid's header from a Richardson corner went just over the bar. Moments later, Chopra replaced Murphy up front for Sunderland as the away side scrambled for a way back into the game. Moments later Bolton tried for a fourth, but Cahill's ambitious drive from range seemed to bother row Z more than the goal. Mota replaced Davies late on as Bolton sat on their lead, preventing Sunderland a proper way forward. They made a few changes in the final 10 minutes, as Fernandes tried to get his hattrick, but despite having time and space in the box he snatched at his shot and Gordon managed to push the ball away. Time winded down on the game with Sunderland looking defeated and Bolton tasting the gravy. The away side tried a few ambitious balls late in the game to try and get through the resilient Boltom back line, but they held firm and Bolton came away with their third win of the campaign. Bolton Wanderers 3 – 1 Sunderland Fernandes 19', 30' Gardner 63' Malbranque 12' Megson: “We were very good today, very solid and good in front of goal. So far it's been quite a contrast from our previous season where we looked shaky at the back and couldn't really score for toffee but now we look a good team and a well oiled unit. This has a lot to do with the new players and one of them today, Fernandes, was excellent and if he can keep that kind of performance up we'll do very well.” Jones: “We never really got out of first gear today which is a shame because we took an early lead and I thought we'd kick on from there but we've not done so. We've been sloppy and there was a real lack of concentration which is how Bolton got their three goals. We've lost four of our opening six games now and that's not really good enough for where we want to be.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3pm Chelsea v Burnley Chelsea's perfect start was expected to continue at home to Burnley who were on a run of defeats. [u]| Pos | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | [/u] | 1st | Chelsea | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 1 | +13 | 15 | | 12th | Burnley | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 9 | -5 | 6 | Previous results Chelsea: Won 2 – 0 against Everton Burnley: Lost 2 – 1 to Aston Villa Chelsea (4-4-2) Cech, Bosingwa, Carvalho, Ivanovic, Ashley Cole, Joe Cole, Lampard, Ballack, Essien, Drogba, Shevchenko. Burnley (3-5-2) Jensen, Riggott, Caldwell, Kilgallon, Eagles, McDonald, Gundjonsson, McCann, Mahon, John, Blake. ------------ Burnley were not expected to upset the odds at Stamford Bridge, as they kicked off the game in a wet and windy west London. Burnley's 3 at the back was a surprise decision and it was not expected to produce much in terms of protection to their goal, but they did their job in the opening 10 minutes, marking both Chelsea strikers out of the game and the packed Burnley midfield closing down quickly and efficiently. With closing down comes fouls though, and McCann committed one on 17 minutes in a dangerous position. Drogba stepped up, and from just 19 yards, placed the ball around the wall and into the far corner to give Chelsea the lead. Despite the early lead, Burnley remained vigilant at the back. They were organised and they were frustrating Chelsea. They couldn't seem to muster an attack themselves though, and this invited pressure onto themselves. Good work from Drogba on 25 minutes saw him feed Ballack in the area, but the German's drive was well saved by Jensen as he pushed the ball behind. Moments later Drogba himself tried his luck 20 yards, but Jensen pulled off a good save to prevent a second Chelsea goal. Gaps were starting to appear in the Burnley back line, and once again Jensen had to be on hand to tip behind Shevchenko's curling effort as Chelsea pressed on. Lampard fired over on 38 minutes before Drogba did likewise 2 minutes later. The half drew to a close, and Burnley were thankful to be just one behind, but on 45 minutes Ballack was chopped down by Eagles right on the edge of the left hand side of the box and Chelsea had another free kick in a good position. The free kick was at an angle that would favour a cross, but Ballack was confident as he stepped up and drove the ball over the wall and over the flapping hands of Jensen to hit the net and give Chelsea a two goal lead. There was then still time for Joe Cole to get in the area and shoot at goal but once again the Burnley keeper was equal to the effort. Two very good free kicks had Chelsea ahead at half time and Burnley would be frustrated as in open play they had kept them at bay. Burnley didn't make any changes for the second half, but Chelsea did as Alex replaced Bosingwa and Kalou replaced Ballack. It took 8 second half minutes for the changes to affect the game, as Lampard got a corner for Chelsea on the left side. He whipped it in at the near post but Kalou's flick on didn't go correctly. It still managed to fall into a gaping hole in the box though, which Essien filled and with so much time and space, somehow, he managed to blast his first time effort from 6 yards well over the cross bar. Blake tried to inspire the fruitless Burnley with a long range drive which went well over, but Chelsea put the game beyond doubt just moments later as Drogba squared to Essien who was standing just outside the box, and the Ghanian midfielder drove a first time right foot effort past the stagnant Jensen from 18 yards. Burnley replaced Blake with Miller in an attempt to somehow get back in the game. Chelsea were in control mode though and on 68 minutes they rubbed salt into the Burnley wound. A good through ball by Lampard put Drogba in the box but he was halted by Riggott who had come in from the side to win the ball. He clearly got the man first though, and referee Attwell had no hesitation pointing to the spot and giving Riggott a yellow card. Up stepped Shevchenko, who had been quiet so far today, and he made no mistake from the spot to put Chelsea 4 to the good. Burnley barely had time to end their sighs of disappointment as Chelsea poured forward again to complete the annihilation, as Kalou's simple cross from the left found Drogba standing in the box. The Ivorian striker hit a very good first time left foot shot inside Jensen's near post to score his 7th league goal of the season and compile the misery for the Lancashire side. Owen Coyle looked bereft of ideas as he stood on the touchline in his tracksuit, chewing gum and looking concerned. Van Basten sat in his dugout, grinning from ear to ear. Chelsea didn't want to end there though, and after Anelka replaced Shevchenko, Lampard had another chance but his curling effort from 20 yards was well gathered by Jensen. Whatever had happened to Burnley's second half tactics was unclear, but Chelsea were excellent and had clearly played to the away side's weaknesses. The final 10 minutes were entered quite quickly, as Jensen turned behind Anelka's close range effort and Stern John scooped the ball over the bar from just outside the box. 2 additional minutes were added at the end of the game, as Stern John tried again from the same position and this time found the target, but Cech tipped the ball over well. With that, the game ended and Chelsea romped to yet another comfortable win and gave Burnley something of a reality check. Chelsea 5 – 0 Burnley Drogba 17', 70' Ballack 45' Essien 59' Shevchenko pen 68' van Basten: “It is another very good win and good performance so once again I am happy. I think I've brought in a new system for the Chelsea players but they have taken to it like a duck to water. There are some very good players out there, some which don't need to learn, you can just sit back and watch them play football and they will do their job for you. This has been the case for most of the games so far.” Coyle: “We've lost our last three games on the bounce but we have played Man United away and Chelsea away today so it was always going to be very tough. We were outplayed and outfought, but I can't complain about the players' effort today because they gave their all again but when you're up against the quality Chelsea have, having the mind set is never enough. We should get used to it really, I think there will be more games like this to come.” Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The-Perfect-Fm'er! Posted July 19, 2009 Share Posted July 19, 2009 Took me a while to catch up, love the very new set-up in terms of league position leading upto the game. still awesome as usual Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomaz Posted July 21, 2009 Author Share Posted July 21, 2009 Cheers TPF, glad you're still enjoying it! --------- 3pm Hull City v West Ham United Hull had surprised many with their good start but West Ham, still without a win, were hoping to upset the party. [u]| Pos | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | [/u] | 5th | Hull | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 9 | -3 | 9 | | 15th | West Ham | 5 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 4 | -2 | 4 | Previous results: Hull City: Won 1 – 0 against Wigan. West Ham United: Drew 0 – 0 with Portsmouth Hull (4-4-2) Myhill, Ricketts, Mouyokolo, Gardner, Zayatte, Bullard, Boateng, Pratley, Halmosi, Fagan, Barmby. West Ham (4-4-2) Green, Spector, Gabbidon, Collins, Ilunga, Behrami, Guana, Parker, Savio, Cole, Ashton. ------------ West Ham kicked off the game at the KC Stadium, with the home side expected to take all 3 points. The game began with West Ham seemingly playing counter attacking football and Hull playing quite far forward. The resulting tactics created a chance on 5 minutes, as Carlton Cole's direct run and shot from range was held well by Myhill. Then it was Hull's turn, as Fagan ran down the right and dribbled through 3 West Ham players before closing in on goal, but he dragged his shot wide. Just 2 minutes later, Hull really should have gone in front; Bullard received the ball down the right and whipped in a great cross that was met full on by Barmby just 7 yards out but his header went straight at Green, who knew nothing about it, and the ball bounced off him and was scrambled clear. Hull kept the pressure up and on 15 minutes Fagan tried his luck from 20 yard but sent his effort wide. Moments later Ashton tried the same and got identical results. The game had started brightly and managed to get even brighter on 19 minutes. Good build up from Hull found Fagan at the edge of the box. He turned Collins easily and fed Barmby in the area, and the veteran made no mistake, placing the ball past Green and into the far corner. West Ham were not petered, and they surged forward straight after with Cole driving into the box but Myhill came out well to narrow the angle and push his shot out for a corner. They came forward again just a minute later but Parker's low drive from 20 yards was easily gathered by Myhill. Hull had been surprised by West Ham's response, as Bulllard curled a 20 yard free kick narrowly wide on 28 minutes. Hull rallied to regain control, and on 36 minutes could have extended their lead from a Fagan cross, but Barmby at the back post hit his shot again directly at Green and West Ham scrambled clear. Barmby's mistake was ratified moments later though, as he surged into the box and was then tripped by Gabbidon. Penalty was given, with no complaints from the away side. Up stepped Fagan to take the spot kick, and he dispatched it well as Hull got a 2 goal lead. The half drew to a close, but there was still time for Ashton to place a shot over the bar as Hull went in at half time leading comfortably. The Hammers came out for the second half eager to get back early, as Ashton fired over from just inside the box on 50 minutes. Hull were soon pressing again though as they soaked up pressure and broke forward, this time Boateng firing a shot narrowly wide from 20 yards. For the most part West Ham's second half intentions weren't going to plan, so they made changes on the hour with Molinaro replacing Savio and Cole being replaced by Sears. The resulting changes influenced the game, as a minute later West Ham got a goal back; Molinaro whipped in a corner from the right and it was met well by Collins at the near post, who headed past the helpless Myhill to set up an intense remaining half hour. The Hammers rallied and on 66 minutes Parker's excellent run saw him free in the box but he chose to cross to the well marked Sears rather than shoot which led to Hull clearing easily. Shortly after, Sears received the ball 20 yards out, but he bent his left foot drive narrowly wide of the left post. The game was more open now and West Ham looked likely to get their equaliser. As the 70's were entered, West Ham replaced Ilunga with Collison and Hull replaced Bullard with Doyle as they went 5 at the back. They looked to keep possession now and it seemed to be working, as moments later Fagan found space in the penalty area but his shot was well saved by Green, who parried the ball away. Further changes followed as Hull brought Dawson on for Mouyokolo and Ashbee on for Pratley. For most of their possession this half, West Ham struggled to properly test the Hull goal as another long range shot, this time from Sears, went harmlessly over the bar on 86 minutes. West Ham pressed forward and again they shot high and wide this time from Collison as they seemed afraid to enter the Hull penalty area. 4 additional minutes were added, and right at the start of it Sears managed to finally hit one on target from distance but Myhill was easily behind it. That was all they could muster though, as Hull sat deep for the remaining minutes and West Ham's fruitless attacks meant they left with nothing, again. Hull City 2 – 1 West Ham United Barmby 19' Fagan pen 40' Collins 63' Brown: “After the City game where we lost four nil I don't think anyone gave us a chance this season but we've shown that we can be a good side and get results when needed. We want this to be a good run that continues, we've had three straight wins now and our confidence is growing all the time so hopefully this will lead to us keeping this good position in the table.” Zola: “We keep going and we try hard but we're not getting anywhere at the moment which is a problem. With every game people worry and I think some are tipping us for relegation already but I think we will turn it around soon we just need that one win to give us a boost of confidence and hopefully better results will follow.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3pm Liverpool v Wigan Athletic Liverpool, still with a game in hand, would be looking to close in on the top teams after a run of good results. Wigan were struggling with just one win so far. [u]| Pos | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | [/u] | 7th | Liverpool | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 2 | +4 | 7 | | 16th | Wigan | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 7 | -3 | 4 | Previous results: Liverpool: Drew 0 – 0 with Arsenal Wigan Athletic: Lost 1 – 0 to Hull Liverpool (4-2-3-1) Reina, Arbeloa, Carragher, Agger, Dossena, Mascherano, Alonso, Kuyt, Gerrard, Babel, Torres. Wigan (4-4-1-1) Kirkland, Zebina, Veron, Scharner, Figueroa, Koumas, Brown, Thomson, N'Zogbia, Cattermole, King. ------------ On a cool afternoon on Merseyside, the home side got the game underway with new Liverpool chairman Ben Downes sitting in the stands. They started brightly, and inside a minute got a corner. Alonso whipped it in, and it was partly cleared to outside the box where Gerrard waited. He took it first time on the volley but the ball went just over. 8 minutes later Wigan tried for their first attack as Koumas got free in the box but Dossena made an excellent sliding tackle to dispossess the striker right as he was about to shoot. It's always good to see an early goal, and exactly that happened on 15 minutes. Good build up play from Liverpool eventually saw Mascherano feed Torres at the egde of the box. The Spaniard turned well before placing a lovely shot into the far right hand corner very nonchalantly to give Liverpool the lead. Wigan were slightly shocked and sat deep in fear of conceding another. They managed to hold Liverpool at bay until the 25th minute when Mascherano unleashed a volley from 20 yards that Kirkland had to do well to dive and hold on to. 2 minutes later a corner from Alonso caused havoc in the Wigan box, and Zebina had to be on hand to block Babel's strike which was goal bound. Liverpool were now struggling to find space in a tight Wigan penalty area, but they got a free kick a yard outside the box on 33 minutes. Gerrard stepped up to take but the ball struck the wall, it then fell to Torres who hit his shot horribly wide. 7 minutes later they finally managed to get into the penalty area as Mascherano scored a good individual effort. He picked the ball up outside the penalty area and surged in. He dinked past Figueroa and closed in on goal from a tight angle and despite Kirkland emerging from goal, he tucked the ball through his legs to double Liverpool's tally. Mascherano had had a very good game so far and thoroughly deserved his goal. There was still time for a Wigan corner which was whipped in by Koumas and was met at the near post by Scharner, but he headed wide of the near post as both sides went off at half time, the score a fair reflection of the game thus far. Wigan had actually controlled possession but had done so little with it. They were unable to penetrate the Liverpool back line with their short passing game. Despite being in front, it was Liverpool who fashioned changes at half time as Aurelio replaced Dossena and Skrtel replaced Agger. They managed to start the half brightly though, as Gerrard's excellent reverse pass found Babel free in the box and the Dutchman tucked the ball away well, only for his celebrations to be halted by the linesman's flag. Just moments later, Gerrard tried his luck with a drive from the edge of the box which Kirkland tipped away very well as Liverpool pushed for a third. Just a minute later and again they threatened, as Babel's volley from the right side of the box was superbly turned over by Kirkland. It was all Liverpool, who had found ways through Wigan's tough back line. Wigan finally properly tested the Liverpool goal on the hour though, as Brown's free kick from 19 yards came back off the post. Shortly after though, Liverpool were pressing again as Gerrards low drive from distance was pushed away by Kirkland before Kuyt's effort inside the box was pushed away by the Wigan keeper, who was keeping Liverpool down to 2 at the moment. Thomson drove a shot over the bar for Wigan just a minute later, as Wigan continued to hold onto the ball but do very little with it. The half pressed on, and Liverpool were seemingly using anyone they could to get the third goal as Aurelio dragged a shot wide the from the edge of the box on 68 minutes. Wigan were pressured but were not making changes as Liverpool made their third and final one with Riera coming on for Babel. Soon after, Liverpool managed to wrap the game up; Wigan failed to clear a Liverpool corner and the ball fell to Gerrard at the edge of the box. He played a simple ball to the feet of Torres who stood on the edge of the six yard area, and the Spaniard took one touch before drilling the ball under Kirkland and into the net to compile the misery onto Wigan. A change at last for Wigan, as Melchiot came on for Cattermole and King came off for Rodallega, who had an immediate impact as his shot skimmed the bar before going over on 74 minutes. Moments later Liverpool were back in the ascendancy again as Gerrard was again denied by Kirkland from distance. Brown fired over for Wigan shortly after. Wigan it seemed were trying to press forward now though it looked like a lost cause as the game drew to a close with Zebina being replaced by Won-Hee. N'Zogbia sent a shot toward goal a minute into added on time that Reina had to tip over before Liverpool sat deep and held possession, which ended in them getting a comfortable win as they closed the gap on the top sides. Liverpool 3 – 0 Wigan Athletic Torres 15', 75' Mascherano 40' Benitez: “It's a good win for us and a good performance, although we had very little possession when we did have the ball we did very well with it and that is what counts. With the new chairman, I don't know what's happening I am yet to have a meeting with him but I will do that next week and we will go from there but I see no reason why I will be forced out of the job.” Bruce: “I don't see it as a game you can look too much into, I thought we did well with possession but created very little but Liverpool are a top team and it was difficult for us to make it count. Whenever they came forward they looked like scoring and had it not been for Kirkland we may well have received a hiding so we need to learn from this and do better next time.” Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomaz Posted July 22, 2009 Author Share Posted July 22, 2009 3pm Portsmouth v Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolves would be looking to surge on after picking up their first point of the season the previous week. [u]| Pos | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | [/u] | 14th | Portsmouth | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | -1 | 5 | | 19th | Wolves | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 11 | -10 | 1 | Previous results: Portsmouth: Drew 0 – 0 with West Ham Wolves: Drew 1 – 1 with Bolton Portsmouth (4-5-1) James, Pamarot, Primus, Distin, Hreidarsson, O'Neil, Mullins, Davis, Basinas, Thomas, Crouch. Wolves (4-5-1) Hennessey, Foley, Stearman, Shackell, Dong-Jin, Kightly, Henry, Berra, Norris, Albin, Flavio. ------------ Wolves kicked off the game on the south coast, not expected to improve on their draw last week. The game had a slow start. Portsmouth's free flowing football of this season had been wasted so far as Wolves sat tight and very deep preventing any good passing moves from the home side. Long balls up to Crouch were called into action but the lanky centre forward had little support and couldn't direct his headers anywhere meaningful. It took until the 17th minute for the first talking point of the game. Crouch had the ball 30 yards from goal and was pushed over by Shackell. A free kick was awarded and Basinas stepped up to take it. Nobody thought he had it in him, but he blasted the free kick superbly and the ball crashed into the top right hand corner of the net to give Portsmouth the lead. Gazza's goal in the 91' Cup Semi-Final for Spurs against Arsenal came to mind, freakish similarities with wonderful results. Pamarot received a knock and had to be replaced by Lauren on 23 minutes, as Portsmouth went in search of a second, but Wolves continued to sit deep and defend, which wasn't really helping themselves if they wanted to get back in the game. Portsmouth did manage to test again on 28 minutes, as O'Neil's cross found Crouch at the near post. The striker beat Hennessey in the air but Foley had tracked back superbly to block the ball on the line and clear. The atmosphere was quiet and Paul Hart looked contently helpless on the sidelines. McCarthy seemed afraid to have his side come anywhere near out of their half in fear of conceding a second goal. A moment of inspiration was going to have to break the second deadlock, and on 38 minutes it happened. Hreidarsson's long throw from the left came to Crouch in the penalty area and he laid it off into the path of Basinas. His first shot was blocked by Shackell, but the ball fell back to him and he smashed a superb effort from 14 yards into the top left hand corner to double his and Portsmouth's tally. McCarthy panicked, and brought off Shackell for Ebanks-Blake to go 4-4-2 and try to force a way back into the game, but the impact hardly helped as Portsmouth grabbed their third right on half time. Good build up play from Pompey saw Mullins feed Crouch near the edge of the box. The striker took the ball in stride, cut away from Berra and smashed a left footed drive from just inside the box inside Hennessey's near post to pile on the misery for Wolves. Wolves walked solemnly down the tunnel at half time looking defeated already, but Portsmouth were definitely enjoying themselves, as Basinas and Davis made gestures to act out the former's goals as they jogged off the pitch. Portsmouth kicked off the second period, with fans singing happily now as they felt the game was over already. Wolves didn't though, an inside the first 3 minutes of the half they had pressed forward and won a corner. From the corner, Portsmouth failed to clear properly and were relieved when Henry hit his effort from just inside the box over the bar. Berra and Kightly received knocks moments later, but it didn't deter them as Ebanks-Blake did well to get in one-on-one with James, but from a tight angle the England keeper was able to deflect the ball away, Wolves had certainly come out perkier, and O'Neil had to be awake to deny Flavio shooting on goal just before the hour as Wolves pressed for a way back into the match. 2 chances for the away side came soon after, as Foley volleyed from a tight angle but James gathered easily before Flavio tried to bend a shot into the far corner but Hreidarsson blocked the shot well. It seemed the change of shape had changed the game, as on 65 minutes Wolves had 2 excellent chances to level the game. First, from substitute Jones' corner, Stearman controlled and hit a shot against the post from 12 yards before Dong-Jin somehow put the rebound wide when it looked easier to score. Since Wolves had gone 4-4-2 the game was far more open, as they had emerged from their defensive line and had opened the game up. They had had a very bright opening 20 minutes of the half and were desperate for it to continue. It was Portsmouth's turn to change the control though, as they came forward with Crouch on 75 minutes but he hit his shot from outside the box well over. Soon after, Lauren got free in the box but from a very tight angle drove his shot across goal with no one willing to stick it in as Pompey searched for their fourth. They were given it on 80 minutes, as Davis' shot from a great position hit the post but following up, of all people, was Hreidarsson who buried the ball home to seal the win. It seemed harsh on Wolves who had had a good second half, and they were nearly further punished on 85 minutes when substitute Kanu bent in a shot from the edge of the box, but Hennessey did well to parry the ball away. Moments later Ebanks-Blake's superb individual run ended with a shot on goal from the edge of the 6 yard box that James did superbly to turn round the far post with a fingertip save. Wolves were now dejected and beaten, and relief all round when the final whistle went and Portsmouth had run out winners, with a rather flattering result. Portsmouth 4 – 0 Wolverhampton Wanderers Basinas 17', 38' Crouch 44' Hreidarsson 80' Hart: “It was a surprise to see Basinas do as well as he did today. He's scored two great goals and without those moments of inspiration we may not have gone on to win so comfortably. The first half was tough, they defended well and prevented us from playing our normal game and to be fair they came out second half guns blazing. The scoreline was harsh on them a bit I feel.” McCarthy: “It was never a four nil game, we played well enough that the scoreline should have been narrower. We've done well first half, but they've scored three quality goals that no matter how good your defence is you can't prevent those. Second half we press on, can't score, then their only real chance of the half they do and that's hard to take.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 5:30pm Blackburn Rovers v Arsenal Arsenal were still without a win, and a tricky trip to Blackburn was not tipped to end that run. [u]| Pos | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | [/u] | 9th | Blackburn | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 7 | | 18th | Arsenal | 5 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | -2 | 3 | Previous results: Blackburn Rovers: Drew 0 – 0 with Fulham Arsenal: Drew 0 – 0 with Liverpool Blackburn (4-5-1) Robinson, Emerton, Samba, Nelsen, Olsson, Diouf, Reid, Grella, Dunn, Pedersen, McCarthy. Arsenal (4-4-2) Fabianski, Sagna, Gallas, Silvestre, Clichy, Eboue, Ramsey, Fabregas, Traore, Adebayor, Eduardo. ------------ Arsenal kicked off the game at a wet and windy Ewood Park, with Wenger again having rested some key players. Just 3 minutes in and Arsenal managed to carve out a good early opportunity, as Gallas headed Fabregas' corner toward the back post, but Grella was back to clear the ball off the line and save a certain goal. Blackburn had looked to start the game in a counter-attacking method with Arsenal not looking to hold back as they pushed on for their first win. Blackburn were seemingly going for long balls down the flanks but due to the strong wind the passes were going wayward. Despite Gallas' chance it was still a slow moving start. Diouf fired over from range on 14 minutes before another Arsenal set piece caused Blackburn problems. Fabregas whipped in a free kick from the left side which Gallas met at the near post, but Robinson did superbly to tip the ball around the post to deny Gallas a goal. It seemed the wet surface was not doing Arsenal's football any favours as many passes were over-hit and players were unable to catch up with through balls as they skidded out of play. The last 15 minutes of the half couldn't come soon enough as, Eboue drove a shot from outside the box into the hands of Robinson. Blackburn's football continued to be ineffective and Arsenal remained frustrated at their lack of penetration of the Blackburn back line. A few moments later, Blackburn did at last manage to break forward as McCarthy fed the ball to Reid who was now one-on-one in the box. He took way too much time on the ball though and Fabianski was able to come out and steal the ball from his feet. Samba and Dunn were yellow carded for Blackburn late in the half before Reid tried his luck from 20 yards but the ball went high and wide. With that, the half ended, much to the delight of those watching as it hadn't been a great match at all but there was hope the second period would be much more entertaining. Wenger clearly realised he wasn't getting anywhere with the current team and made 2 changes at half time, with Nasri replacing Ramsey and van Persie coming on for Eduardo. Blackburn started the second half the stronger, as the rain teemed down on a fast becoming water-logged pitch. It was Reid again at the forefront of one of their chances, as he curled a shot from the edge of the box just over the bar. Shortly after, a last ditch tackle from Emerton prevented van Persie from firing at goal from 6 yards. Allardyce, clearly not content with his sides performance, replaced Pedersen with Gallagher as the hour mark was hit. Moments later, Eboue hit a shot from near 30 yards that went a whisker past Robinson's left hand post, with the England keeper beaten. It seemed the second half was going the way of the first, and a game anticipated to be a good one to watch was slowly turning into an eyesore of poor football with misplaced passes. The atmosphere was flat as well, as the weather did the fans no favours. As the final 20 minutes were entered, the game suddenly sprung into life. Blackburn broke down the right with Emerton, who came inside toward the edge of the box. Traore stopped his first attempted cross but it fell back to Emerton, who curled it in toward the near post. Who else but Steven Reid, who rose at the edge of the 6 yard box to nod past Fabianski at the near post to give Blackburn the lead. It looked like an all to familiar story for Arsenal. Wenger reacted though, taking off Clichy for Senderos in an odd change that saw Silvestre move to left back. Rather amusingly, Silvestre got a battering from McCarthy a few moments later and he was unable to continue, as Arsenal had to sit out the remaining 15 minutes with 10 men. Nasri was next to be clattered into, but he managed to stay on the pitch after a bit of treatment. Wenger clearly not happy with Blackburn's physical tactics. It was then Blackburn's turn to ignite some final changes to the game, as Diouf was replaced by Khizanishvili and McCarthy was replaced by Treacy. With 5 minutes remaining, Arsenal managed to force a corner. Fabregas trudged off to the corner flag to take it, and he whipped it in toward the back post. Everyone was still, except Senderos, who surged forward and rose above Khizanishvili to send a bullet header past Robinson and into the net from 8 yards to bring Arsenal level. The fans behind the goal celebrated emphatically, could they now nick the game? Blackburn continued to sit deep as Arsenal pressed onward. They lacked the ability to unlock their stable defence though, and despite a cross from Nasri which flashed across goal begging for someone to stick it in, Arsenal couldn't muster anything else to test the Blackburn goal as the game ended in a draw, a result neither side could be too despondent about. Blackburn Rovers 1 – 1 Arsenal Reid 71' Senderos 85' Allardyce: “Not exactly a classic but it's a good point for us as I think this was a game that Arsenal really could have turned things around, but I thought we defended well although our attacking side wasn't too impressive today. Steven (Reid) was at the fore front of most of our attacks today and we tried something different and it paid off in the end and he also got a goal which is impressive.” Wenger: “I thought we were the better team but as has been all the time so far this season we don't get the result we deserve or the luck we deserve. People say karma will come eventually but with each passing game that we fail to get the result we need we lose grip on those above us and that will prove costly come season end.” Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomaz Posted July 22, 2009 Author Share Posted July 22, 2009 Sunday, 28th September. 1:30pm Manchester City v Fulham Man City's strong start was expected to continue at home to a Fulham side who had lost both of their away games so far this season. [u]| Pos | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | [/u] | 3rd | Man City | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 3 | +8 | 13 | | 11th | Fulham | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 7 | Previous results: Manchester City: Drew 1 – 1 with Birmingham. Fulham: Drew 0 – 0 with Blackburn. Man City (4-5-1) Given, Srna, Coloccini, Dunne, Bridge, Valencia, Palombo, de Jong, Ireland, Zhirkov, Robinho. Fulham (4-4-2) Schwarzer, Pantsil, Hangeland, Hughes, Edman, Davies, Teymourian, Dempsey, Konchesky, Owen, Johnson. ------------ Fulham got the game underway at a sold out Eastlands. The early stages were spent mostly in the City half, as Fulham kept narrow and played a shot simple passing game, which the home side failed to really counter with anything. Fulham got a few free kicks and a corner in the opening 10 minutes but failed to make any of it count. Moments later and Fulham had a great chance though, as Pantsil's deep pass to the Man City box was picked up by Owen, but despite being through on goal he made it easy for Given to turn the ball around the post when he should have done better. On 15 minutes the home side finally made a game of it, as Palombo's strike from the edge of the box was charged down and the ball flew just wide of the left post. Moments later, and they had the lead as Palombo again got the ball near the edge of the box and went for goal, only for Schwarzer to parry his effort away. Stephen Ireland was following up though, and he made no mistake volleying home the rebound. City rallied, and Schwarzer had to be on hand to get down low and hold onto Robinho's drive from the edge of the box. Moments later, Zhirkov's cross landed on the head of Palombo at the back post but he couldn't direct his header on target. Fulham promptly sat deep end enforced long ball tactics down both flanks, that for now, Srna and Bridge were equal to. Time was racking up in the game as the intensity died down slightly. Coloccini was yellow carded and one for Hangeland followed straight after as both sides seemed content. With 5 minutes to go till half time, Hughes had to be on hand to block Valencia's effort after Zhirkov's shot was pushed away by Schwarzer. 5 minutes later, City got their second goal as Robinho surged down the right with the ball and then played a low cross to the near post where Zhirkov was running in. The Russian winger made no mistake diverting the ball home first time from 6 yards. Fulham barely had time to retake their positions for kick off again before the half time whistle went, with the home side 2 goals to the good. The second half started where the first let off, as Ireland tried for goal inside the Fulham box but Hangeland was on hand to deflect the ball out for a corner. Another chance quickly followed, as Robinho met Bridge's cross at the near post but Schwarzer was on hand to turn the ball around the post. From the resulting corner, Fulham failed to properly clear and Valencia's tight angle effort went a whisker over the bar. Fulham were rocked, as City's quality was too much for them to handle, and on 54 minutes they further established their dominance. City got a corner on the left and it whipped in to the near post where Robinho stood. It was Michael Owen who had a fistful of his shirt, denying him the opportunity to jump fully to reach the ball and referee Steve Bennett pointed to the spot. Fulham protested feverishly, and it did seem a tad harsh, but nothing was going to change the referee's mind as Srna stepped up to take the kick. He dispatched it with ease, calmly placing the ball into the bottom right corner too far for Schwarzer to reach. Fulham were properly shaken now, as Bridge's deep cross found Robinho at the back post, but his first time volley was well parried by Schwarzer. Michael Owen was clearly frustrated with the penalty given against him, and he was yellow carded just after the hour for an elbow on Bridge. He was lucky not to get sent off. Konchesky seemed the only player capable of creating for Fulham at this point, as his driving runs down the left were impressive but his crosses found no Fulham players, as none were in the box. A double change soon followed for the Cottagers, with Volz replacing the frustrated Owen and Nevland replacing Johnson. For City, Richards replaced Srna. It wasn't until the 79th minute that the next chance came, as Ireland curled a shot from near 20 yards just over the bar. Moments later Fulham at last made a chance, as Edman lashed over from 18 yards after good work from Pantsil down the right. City promptly eased off and the game looked settled as extra time was entered. In the added time, Dempsey's long range effort was held by Given before Valencia's superb individual run was pushed away by Schwarzer. The final chance fell to Nevland who tried to lob Given from range, but he got the contact all wrong as the ball went harmlessly into the stands. With that, the game ended and it was another comfortable win for revitalised Manchester City. Manchester City 3 – 0 Fulham Ireland 22' Zhirkov 44' Srna pen 54' Hughes: “As long as we keep up these good performances we have a great chance of finishing somewhere good as well. This is the type of game that two years ago we would have rolled over and maybe drawn but we've come a long way in a short space of time and as long as we keep building we can achieve something great.” Hodgson: “We had an away problem last season and we seem to have it again this season in that we're like a deer in headlights. City are a good team but we started with no fear and looked the better side, but as soon as we conceded the first goal heads dropped and we looked out of it from then on.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 4pm Tottenham Hotspur v Everton Everton would be hoping to maintain their decent start whereas Spurs were looking for a second win of the season. [u]| Pos | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | [/u] | 7th | Everton | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 5 | +1 | 9 | | 12th | Tottenham | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 6 | Previous results: Tottenham Hotspur: Lost 1 – 0 to Sunderland. Everton: lost 2 – 0 to Chelsea Tottenham (4-4-2) Gomes, Chimbonda, King, Woodgate, Assou-Ekotto, Lennon, Palacios, Jenas, Modric, Pavlyuchenko, Keane. Everton (4-4-1-1) Howard, Neville, Yobo, Lescott, Valente, Arteta, Fellaini, Osman, Baines, Cahill, Vaughan. ------------ Spurs kicked off the game at White Hart Lane to the usual sold out allocated crowd. The game got off to a flyer, as an early free kick from Cahill had to be well held by the diving Gomes. Merely moments later, and Everton went ahead. Osman received the ball 35 yards from goal via Arteta and turned to run toward goal. He made a few strides before unleashing a superb right footed effort from 30 yards that flew into the bottom left hand corner of Gomes' goal to give Everton a surprise early lead. Spurs kicked off, and surged straight forward. Build up via the middle eventually found Palacios who played a ball to Lennon who was in the right hand side of the penalty area. He was unmarked, and took a touch before driving a shot low into the far left hand corner to bring Spurs instantly level with just 10 minutes on the clock. The early entertainment fizzed out, and both sides tried quick attacks that would fade out quite easily but there was definite hope more goals would soon come. On 23 minutes Palacios tried to inspire some quality into the game but his powerful effort from just outside the box was well held by Howard. Moments later, a Lennon cross found the fists of Howard who punched clear but Pavlyuchenko was less than happy as he felt Lescott had obstructed him from reaching the ball. 10 minutes past before Palacios again tried from range, Howard once again fully behind it. However, he needn't have worried as Spurs went in front minutes later. Assou-Ekotto went on a good run down the left before cutting the ball inside toward Palacios. He played a simple pass to the feet of Pavlyuchenko at the edge of the box, and his first time left foot shot took a wicked deflection off of Lescott, who was marking him, and the ball curled viciously into the bottom left corner. Pavlyuchenko tried to claim it, but it would go down as an own goal. Moments later, and Spurs had a chance to go 2 goals in front. Palacios, who was at the front of every Spurs attack, played a great through ball for Keane to run in on goal. The Irish striker surged toward goal, slightly put off by Yobo, who forced Keane onto his left foot and the striker sent his shot from the edge of the box over the bar when he should have at least hit the target. An entertaining first half came to an end, with Spurs just about in front but would feel they should have had a third goal from Keane right at the end of the half. Everton got the second half underway, clear in the belief they were going to change things around. They struggled for early control though, and it took 10 minutes for them to enter the Spurs penalty area properly, as 2 blocks, 1 from Chimbonda and the other from Assou-Ekotto denied a good ball around the 6 yard box. Everton forced a few corners but Spurs were sitting tight and deep and it made for not such pleasurable viewing. It took until 68 minutes for the first talking point of the half, as Everton pressed forward. Osman received the ball 40 yards out and played a ball to the feet of Cahill who was in the Spurs box. He was unmarked and he turned toward goal to face Gomes, who did superbly to turn his shot away. Everton should have equalised there and then, as Spurs' stubborn defence went to sleep for the first time in the afternoon. Both sides made changes soon after, as O'Hara replaced Modric and Defoe came on for Keane as Spurs looked to keep their lead. Everton brought Hibbert on for Valente and Jagielka for Fellaini. Although Spurs' defence was good, Everton had be awake on 73 minutes as Jenas got free in the box but Lescott's burst of energy saw him fly in front of Jenas' effort and the ball deflected clear. Spurs got a free kick on 75 minutes, right on the tip of the right hand side of the Everton box. O'Hara stood over it, and swung in an effort left footed which just went over the near crossbar and post. Everton continued to struggle to break Spurs down and were now getting caught on the counter sometimes as the home side would launch long balls clear. More changes came with 10 minutes left, as Dawson replaced Chimbonda for Spurs and Rodwell came on for Arteta for Everton. The changes made an immediate effect, as the fourth goal of the game came. Hibbert got the ball on the right and played a deep cross to the middle of the penalty area. Phil Neville was up, and he evaded Dawson to head towards goal and despite Gomes' best attempts, couldn't keep out the header and forced the ball further into the net as Everton went level. Both sides were going for it now, as Everton flew forward again but despite good build up play, Baines' effort from the edge of the box went over the bar. Soon after, Vaughan and the whole stadium thought he had made it through on goal but a late linesman's flag denied him the chance to give Everton a great chance. 4 additional minutes were added as the fifth goal was searched for by both parties. The closest anyone came though, was Ledley King, as from the edge of the 6 yard box he chose to play the ball across goal rather than shoot. A waisted opportunity, which proved to be the last as the game ended all square. Tottenham Hotspur 2 – 2 Everton Lennon 9' Lescott OG 39' Osman 7' Neville 82' Redknapp: “I suppose it was an entertaining game for you folks but it's a frustrating one for us really because we feel we've conceded two preventable goals today. The first is a great strike but no one closes him down and the second goal is purely a soft one that should have been dealt with. We haven't really reached any consistency yet so we're hoping that's around the corner.” Moyes: “A point here is no shame, it's a good result and we should be pleased to have it considering we didn't play too well today. I was pleased with how resolute we were though, even when we struggled to break them down we kept at it and in the end we got the illusive equaliser and we go home with one point instead of none.” Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
IlikeJellybeans Posted July 26, 2009 Share Posted July 26, 2009 Nice work keep it up Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomaz Posted July 27, 2009 Author Share Posted July 27, 2009 Monday, 29th September. | Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | | Chelsea | | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 1 | +18 | 18 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | | Man Utd | | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 1 | +12 | 16 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | Man City | | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 3 | +11 | 16 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | Hull | | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 10 | -2 | 12 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | | Bolton | | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 5 | +3 | 11 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | | Liverpool | | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 2 | +7 | 10 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | | Everton | | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 7 | +1 | 10 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8th | | Portsmouth | | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 4 | +3 | 8 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9th | | Aston Villa | | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 6 | +2 | 8 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10th | | Blackburn | | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 8 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 11th | | Tottenham | | 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 7 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 12th | | Fulham | | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 8 | -3 | 7 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 13th | | Sunderland | | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 12 | -7 | 6 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 14th | | Burnley | | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 14 | -10 | 6 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 15th | | Birmingham | | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 8 | -5 | 5 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 16th | | Arsenal | | 6 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 5 | -2 | 4 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 17th | | West Ham | | 6 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 6 | -3 | 4 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 18th | | Wigan | | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 10 | -6 | 4 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 19th | | Stoke | | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 11 | -7 | 1 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 20th | | Wolves | | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 15 | -14 | 1 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| Meanwhile, Sunderland’s new found wealth meant they were more or less linked with every player under the sun at present – Obafemi Martins of Newcastle one of those tipped for a move the Stadium of Light. Tuesday, 30th September. Champions League games took place tonight with Manchester United and Arsenal in action. The Red Devils eased passed Feyenoord 3-0 with goals from Tevez (2) and Park. Arsenal however, went down 1-0 at Celtic. More transfer rumours came about, with Sunderland reportedly close to sealing a deal for Shakhtar’s Nery Castillo. Also, Birmingham were linked with Wigan’s Titus Bramble and Middlesbrough’s Julio Arca. Wednesday, 1st October. More Champions League action as Liverpool did well to beat Inter Milan at the San Siro, but Chelsea lost for the first time under van Basten, going down 2-1 at Real Madrid. The monthly awards were handed out, and went as follows: Young Player of the Month – Marouane Fellaini Player of the Month – Didier Drogba Manager of the Month – Alex Ferguson Goal of the Month – Javier Mascherano – Liverpool v Wigan Thursday, 2nd October. Burnley to be ‘surprise of the season’ Burnley goalkeeper Brian Jensen believes his side will be the surprise package this season and finish in a good position. The Lancashire side currently lie 14th in the Premier League, but have lost their last three games in a row to Manchester United, Aston Villa, and Chelsea respectively. “We can do what the other teams have done,” said Jensen “we have the squad here, we can do what Wigan and Reading did. We have the belief we are good enough to be in this league but we’ve had a tough start playing teams like Villa, United, and Chelsea so we need to make sure we pick up the points now when the easier games come by.” Burnley play Tottenham on Saturday afternoon at Turf Moor, and Jensen believes these are the game you have to win in order to finish in a good position; “Spurs are a good side” he said, “but we are at home and if we want to really finish in a good position these are the teams we need to beat. I predict we will on Saturday, and push on from there.” Burnley have six points from their opening six games, with wins against Sunderland and Stoke to their name. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drogba11CFC Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 Any chance of progress? I'm liking it so far. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gallas 10 Posted September 5, 2009 Share Posted September 5, 2009 Ahh man, why'd this die? Such an awesome read. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomaz Posted September 21, 2009 Author Share Posted September 21, 2009 Sorry for the shameful bump guys, I`ve been unable to update for ages partly because my PC has somewhat had it and had to have minor repairs and also haven`t had the time to play the save over the past couple of weeks....I hate to say it but I have lost a bit of joy in writing this piece as well as I tried to get back into it the other day but wasn`t happening, so I will see if I can get back into it! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drogba11CFC Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 Good luck. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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