Monthly Archives: October 2012

Tips: Getting the best football shirts around

  By O-Posts Team | October 31, 2012 - 22:21 | ,
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These days there’s nothing quite like a genuine shirt – they’ve got a look and feel to them that’s only really possible with official merchandise, and owning the genuine article could be considered a mark of a real fan. They can be a bit pricey at times, though-this is pretty much true of all clubs who produce their own merchandise.

Still, you don’t want to get knocked-off or fake shirts; the quality tends to be quite a lot lower and they won’t be as valuable, either. The money won’t be going to the club, as well-it may well be going towards a counterfeiting gang or organisation with an illegal sweatshop abroad.

Recently, a businessman was arrested for making a massive £34,00 in 3 months, by selling fake shirts online via a website he set up-with the shirts costing him only a third of what he charged his customers. The shirts in question were cheap imports from Thailand, and the lack of quality was evident enough when trading standards received complaints about them.

In this case the shirts were obviously not particularly well-crafted fakes if a number of people noticed reasonably quickly, however there are skilled forgers and set-ups out there that are capable of creating believable fakes. The larger clubs with higher number of supporters tend to be those targeted-Manchester and Liverpool shirts in the example above, and Newcastle United shirts have been seized in the past.

So, how do you go about checking what you’ve got is the real deal? There are a number of checks you can perform. Firstly, cost-most genuine shirts tend to go for upwards of £30 each; if you come across any that are cheaper than this check out the company or individual in question to make sure they’re genuine and trustworthy.

The material of fakes is often not premium quality; if it feels rough, low-quality or generally cheap then it probably isn’t genuine. Colours may be dull or slightly mismatched or the wrong shade and the badges might not check out against those of a regular shirt. Stitching is a good one to check-the stitching on a proper shirt should be tidy, precise and complete with no gaps, whereas a mass-produced fake will in all probability have shoddy needlework.

There are a couple of other things you can check for-the hologram on the label(s) is particularly hard to fake well due to the complexity involved in creating one. Also, fake shirts are more likely to shrink in the wash.

In conclusion, whether you’re looking to get genuine gear or similar items, make sure that you get your shirts and other kit from a reputable source. You can buy Liverpool football kit from Sports and Design if you want to get your hands on good quality gear.

 

Written by Edward Roebuck

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Arsenal 7-5 Reading: Another wicked Arsenal trick

  By O-Posts Team | October 31, 2012 - 19:19 | , , ,
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Yeah, I meant it –wicked. What else can I say about my dear Arsenal? Being an Arsenal fan it would be normal if you have high blood pressure or once in a while a heart attack! Yesterday was one of such nights where you totally felt lost, then have an array of hope, cool down in dying minutes of full time, get ecstasy with the fifth goal, break down with Reading’s equaliser and I don’t know what other expressions to use for our late, late double.

The game was an extraordinary cup tie, the archetypal – a game of two halves. The first forty five minutes excluding the injury time was dominated by Reading.They had 5-6 corners in the first 10 minutes and their attacking play was rewarded with a goal from Roberts-a decent cross and ball into the top corner, 1-0. Reading kept on pushing and Koscienly with his trademark style intercepted the ball into his own net (same own goal as against Man City), 2-0.

And my goodness time only 20 minutes went by. I felt good cause I thought we had enough time to score back. But what followed immediately was another goal from Leigertwood. He shot it just from outside of the box, and when everyone thought Martinez had made an outstanding save, only to watch the ball roll back in our own net, 3-0.

We tried to get back into the game by passing the ball well, but couldn’t make any inroads into their defence. Added to the dismay, Hunt nodded in home from Gunter’s cross, 4-0.

The Madejski Stadium was wittnessing one of the worst Arsenal defeats of all time, that’s what everyone including Wenger thought at that time. Arsenal fans were chanting ‘We want our Arsenal back’ and as if they heard them Arshavin threaded in a through ball and the speed demon Walcott with superb ball control lobbed it over the keeper – a chip Vela would have been proud of, 4-1.

What Wenger spoke in the dressing room will not be known but it seems it had its effects.Walcott hit the side nettings, Chamakh had a penalty appeal turned down, and Walcott again was inches away from connecting to a great Jenkinson cross.

Reading too had a few chances but not as dangerous. Every battle is won with some decisive decisions and here it arrived with the introduction of Giroud and Eisfeld; they changed the game completely.

Giroud’s first touch was an absolutely superb header when he steered Walcott’s cornet into the net – 4-2. Arsenal continued to batter down Reading with the likes of Giroud, Walcott, Eisfeld, and Andrei testing the keeper but to no success. And in the 89th minute another Walcott corner was headed by Koscienly to make it 4-3.

Four minutes of extra time time was coming to an end until Walcott slotted home ..YES, we have done it in the 95th minute, 4-4. Full time whistle was blown.

The Madejski Stadium was witnessing football at its pinnacle and they were waiting for the extra time with half of the supporters biting their nails except two players, Giroud and Coquelin, who felt the game was over and they had their shirts thrown to supporters only to ask them back.

Just before the end of first half of extra time, Chamakh SCORED, and that too from outside the box, 5-4. The goal was after some nice buildup play between Chamakh and Giroud.When it seemed everything was settled, Pogrebnyak scored from a header which appeared to be offside, 5-5.

Time tickled by and when everyone believed the game was going to penalties, Arsenal countered and Walcott’s shot just went outside of the post. But Arshavin then went on a run through the left wing and his shot-cum-shot was rebounded back to Walcott who smashed into the net, 6-5. Reading’s players went up the pitch and Chamakh finished off the rituals with a fine chip over the stranded Federici, 7-5. The full time whistle was finally blown and an epic match came to an end.

Speaking about the performances of players, Frimpong was a bit of concern. He lacked energy and didn’t’ track back. Gnarby, too, didn’t impress much but he seems to be a very intelligent player, and still has a bright future ahead of him. Koscienly is low on confidence but more playing time should help him.

Jenkinson again showed he is a class apart. Coquelin had a superb last 60minutes with tackles and lot of interceptions. Walcott finishing and crossing has improved vastly, it seems. Arshavin too worked hard, both in defense and attack – but he could have done better with some through balls. Chamakh was simply superb in the extra time.Giroud in my opinion was the game changer. The Frenchman was so athletic; he was shooting, passing, pushing, and fighting for every ball. Eisfeld looks like a player with a very bright future ahead of him. He showed his passing vision as well his vision, and seems technically superb.

This was a night of football which will live in the memories of all fans whichever club they support. It was an astonishing night – an absolute classic.

 

Written by Alfin Thomas

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Dizzel’s La Liga Column: Oba Martins shines for Levante, as Ronaldo and Messi stand out yet again

  By O-Posts Team | October 31, 2012 - 17:43 | , ,
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The 9th match-day of the 2012-2013 Liga BBVA has been completed and it has been another terrific week packed with outstanding goals. Currently Barcelona and Atletico both have 25 points from 9 games, but Barcelona have a superior points-difference and thus top the league.

Lionel Messi leads the race for the Pichichi with 13 goals followed closely by Ronaldo and Falcao on 11 and 10 goals respectively. Willy Caballero of Malaga has statistically been the best goalkeeper so far conceding only 5 goals in 9 matches.

I will as usual run down the 5 best matches of the weekend as well as providing my Team Of The Week and Player Of The Week.

 

1) Levante vs Granada

Levante were overwhelming favorites heading into this fixture being 9 places above their rivals on the log before kick-off. Levante replaced arguably their best player of last season Kone with the Nigerian striker Obafemi Martins and it seems that this was some excellent business. Martins has been class for Levante and will help them in their attempt to gain Champions League Football next season.

Martins scored twice on his 28th birthday this weekend. His first came in the 12 minute and he doubled the lead with his second in the 61st minute. Winger Pedro Ríos scored the third for Levante in the 73rd minute. Granada got a consolation goal through El Arabi near the end of the match.

Levante dominated the match and were very deserving winners.

Final score: Levante 3-1 Granada.

 

2) Real Zaragoza vs Sevilla

Sevilla have lost their third game of the season and maybe they should be worrying. Their form over their past 5 games is nothing to brag about and with the players that they have they should be getting much better results. I take nothing away from Zaragoza who on the day were a better side.

Zaragoza have been one of the most inconsistent sides in the league so far with 5 wins, 4 losses and no draws. Zaragoza definitely have a very good striker in the Portuguese Hélder Postiga. Their first goal came after he rounded the ‘keeper on the end of a very well executed solo run in the (insert) minute. Zaragoza doubled their lead when the defender Săpunaru scored a well placed header from a free-kick in the 45th minute.

Sevilla started a comeback in the 70th minute when Medel scored, they just unfortunately couldn’t complete the comeback and the match ended: Zaragoza 2-1 Sevilla.

 

3) Atletico Madrid vs Osasuna

Atletico have started their season phenomenally being unbeaten so far and some people believe that they are serious title contenders this season. You can’t deny that they are a very formidable team and with El Tigre leading their line they score loads of goals. Osasuna have not had as great a start to their season, but only a fool would underestimate them.

Atletico definitely played true to form and opened the scoring in the 31st minute through the Brazilian centre-back Miranda. They doubled the lead 4 minutes later when Raul Garcia guided the ball into the back of the net.

One of Osasuna’s best players so far, Lamah scored just before half-time to bring the deficit back to just one goal. The in-form striker in world football, Radamel Falcao, scored again in the 73rd minute and is making his worth to Atletico higher each time he gets a goal.

This result just shows that Atletico have the ambition and skill to go all the way. They just have to survive the January transfer window.

Final result: Atletico 3-1 Osasuna

 

4) Barcelona vs Rayo Vallecano

Barcelona have started their campaign brilliantly. They are undefeated and have only drawn one match. Tito Vilanova is beginning to get the best out of his players. The best example is Cesc Fabregas who was average for them last season, but has recently playing terrific football getting himself 7 assists.

It took longer than expected, but Barcelona opened the scoring in the 20th minute when Spanish striker David Villa netted. Messi lived up to reputation and scored the second in the 48th minute. After a couple of missed opportunities and a lot of passes Xavi scored Barca’s third in the 78th minute.

Two minutes later Cesc got his name on the score-sheet and the phenomenal little Argentine got his brace in the 89th minute to finish Rayo off.

This was an easy enough outcome to predict and it will take something special to stop this current Blaugrana team.

Final score: Barcelona 5-0 Rayo Vallecano

 

5) Real Madrid vs Mallorca

Real Madrid have definitely gotten their league effort back on track. After a shaky start Los Blancos look as impressive as ever and determined to decrease the gap that separates them from Barcelona and their local rivals Atletico.

Mallorca started very well, but it seems they are getting ready for a mid-table season. Their biggest problem has been discipline, the have received three straight red cards in their 9 games. Meaning they get a red every three games which is very worrying.

Real Madrid looked the better team from kick-off and kept running right through the Mallorca defense. Higuain opened the scoring with a well taken volley in the 8th minute. Cristiano Ronaldo scored the second in the 22nd minute after some calm passing on the edge of the Mallorca box.

Higuain got his second in the 70th minute and Ronaldo would not be bested getting his brace three minutes later. Substitute Jose Callejon scored the 5th on the 90 minute mark.

Real Madrid were impressive, but it was a terrible display by the entire Mallorca team.

Final score: Real Madrid 5-0 Mallorca

 

Team Of The Week:

 

GK: Iker Casillas (Real Madrid)

The Madrid captain had a good game and earned his clean-sheet. He made a couple of good saves that destroyed any hope of a Mallorca comeback.

 

LB: Juanfran Garcia (Levante)

Levante were more defensive than you would expect from a team that scored 3 goals and their solid back was mostly due to veteran left-back Juanfran Garcia who was very solid overall.

 

CB: Miranda (Atletico Madrid)

The Brazilian centre-back was very impressive in his sides win against Osasuna. His goal gave Atletico the confidence they needed to dominate the game.

 

CB: Varane (Real Madrid)

The young French received a rare starting position in the Madrid XI and surely took his chance he was sublime and will be an amazing defender in the future.

 

RB: Sapunaru (Real Zaragoza)

Sapunaru was safe in defense, but what caught the eyes of the fans was his constant forward runs. He looked motivated and also scored his first goal for Zaragoza in just his sixth appearance for them.

 

CM: Xavi (Barcelona)

Xavi presented another passing master-class this match-day. He barely misplaced a pass and pulled the strings, as we are so used to seeing him do, in one of the best mid-fields in the world. He scored a well taken goal that some would blame on the defense, but he definitely deserved it.

 

CM: Fabregas (Barcelona)

Provided a good opposite to Xavi’s calm passing by going forward more and presenting the ball to the outstanding forwards that they have. Also got himself a goal.

 

LW: Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)

Cristiano scored in his 8th consecutive match this weekend. He just keeps getting better and better. He has started the season terrifically and will be striking terror into goalkeepers every single week.

 

RW: Lionel Messi (Barcelona)

The La Liga top scorer added to his tally with two goals against Rayo Vallecano. He has been exceptional as always and no one can dispute him as one of the best players of this week.

 

ST: Gonzalo Higuain (Real Madrid)

Higuain has been Madrids in-form striker over the last couple of matches and repaid Mourinho’s faith in him with two great goals. He has taken his starting chances while Benzema has been very unimpressive.

 

ST: Obafemi Martins (Levante)

The Nigerian striker bagged a brace against Granada and has been a revelation for Levante ever since they signed him. He has certainly more than equaled his predecessor Kone.

 

Dizzels Player Of The Week Match-Day 9: Obafemi Martins

He was spectacular and deserves the award for his terrific brace on his birth-day. He will surely be a huge part of their team this season.

 

Written by Deon Beauzec

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Fernando Torres: A Review of El Nino’s Start to the Season

  By O-Posts Team | October 31, 2012 - 16:09 | ,
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At the start of the season, there was a sense of “now or never” surrounding Chelsea’s £50 million striker Fernando Torres. In the year and a half since joining the Blues, Torres had shown little to nothing of the form that had made him one of the world’s top strikers in the late 2000′s. He had a good Euro 2012, with Torres scoring three goals, despite only starting two games for Spain, who went onto win the tournament.

So the new season bought a new sense of positively around Torres and a large number of people were tipping Chelsea’s number nine to win the prestigious Premier League golden boot. Torres got his first goal of the 2012/13 Premier League campaign in a 4-2 home win against newly promoted Reading in a dramatic 4-2 victory for the Blues, and his second was a stunning strike in a comfortable 2-0 win over Newcastle. Then came the introduction of Chelsea’s 4-2-3-1 formation featuring the explosive and exciting attacking midfield trio of Juan Mata, Eden Hazard and Brazilian Oscar.

Although this formation has made Chelsea’s play generally more impressive, Torres hasn’t really fulfilled his potential when playing in it. Goals against Arsenal and Norwich showed he can score with the help of the dynamic trio, but in other games such as the game at home to Stoke city and the away defeat against Shakhtar Donetsk, Torres has been essentially anonymous.

So why hasn’t Torres done particularly well when being the lone striker in the 4-2-3-1 formation? After all, his best days at Liverpool came when he was the man on his own at the top of mostly a 4-5-1 formation. It’s difficult to say really, but Mata, Oscar and Hazard all love to cut inside and bamboozle the opposition defence, which they have done on many occasions this season.

However, this often leaves Torres in positions which means he can’t attack the ball and is caught offside regularly. In my opinion, it would be foolish of Roberto Di Matteo to take away the 4-2-3-1 formation as it has led to better performances by Chelsea and more goals. If Torres doesn’t improve, some say Daniel Sturridge, who has a better delivery and is more versatile than Torres, should start every week.

Others say Chelsea should try to implement a 4-3-3 formation like they did during the Mourinho, Grant and Ancelotti years, but with maybe Oscar, Mata or Hazard playing as the “false number nine”. Having a “false number nine” would be interesting and similar to the one Barcelona often use and some have even made comparisons between Barcelona’s tiki-taka style and Chelsea’s style this season.

 

Conclusion

Although I feel more confident about Torres and his form than I did this time last year, his performances haven’t been consistent enough for me to proclaim that he is ‘’back to his best’’. In saying that, he does look sharp and is showing his pace regularly.

After an excellent start, Torres has lost his momentum a bit lately, and he’ll be looking to improve his form before the end of the season.

Torres’ season so far: 6/10

 

Written by Joshua Sodergren

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Premier League: Full implications of Man United Bias

  By O-Posts Team | October 30, 2012 - 19:17 | , , ,
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Really?

The decisions given against Chelsea in this weekend’s game may be viewed by many people as a mere co-incidence and that it was honest mistakes on the part of the officials. Moreover, conversations will centre on, “accepting the referee’s decisions in the true spirit of sportsmanship”. This appears to be what being English is all about but it has played into the hands of blatant cheats and those who favour Manchester United sub-consciously.

If anyone has read some of my previous articles, then it puts what happened on Sunday at Stamford Bridge into clear perspective. The question that needs to be asked is why the controversy revolves around questionable decision that go in Manchester United’s favour Manchester United are never the victims of poor decisions. The decision will continue to pour in Manchester United’s favour so long as spineless governing bodies are not prepared to address the root of the problem.

To spell it out again, Manchester United is the Premier League’s number one product to maximise world-wide revenue in the form of television and other commercial rights therefore the success of the Premiership brand hinges on their number one product, with the largest following in the world, being successful. If Manchester United fails, then the international appeal of the Premier League will be lost. As a result of billions of pounds being at stake, the administrators are prepared to live with this evil. The cliché that it is all about money rings true.

If any team wishes to compete with Manchester United on an equal footing, they can forget doing so because a minimum allowance of ten points has to be built into the equation to offset so called poor refereeing making a generous contribution to the United cause.

On Sunday, it certainly was not the “invisible man” who scored Manchester United’s third goal from an off-side position. Even with ten against eleven, the only likely winner appeared to be Chelsea as was evident by their domination, but the referee ensured that there would be no Chelsea victory. Many respected journalists described this as the worst display by a referee in Premier League history. If the official was unsure of the decision then he should have ruled accordingly.

United have had great teams in the past that have won titles on merit but they have not always had great teams yet with the interventions of officials, they have chalked up nineteen league titles. They are well below Chelsea and Manchester City at present but they have been kept in the frame by the goodwill of the officials. How long will other clubs accept this situation? Recently Roberto Martinez stated how hypocritical the officials are when it came to Manchester United. He was duly fined for telling the truth. That is the manner in which the league ensures that the voices of protest are stifled.

Another clear tactic employed by the officials is to give poor decisions against teams that pose a threat to Manchester United in those team’s own fixtures. Examples of this have been evident this year as seen through Crouch handling the ball for a goal for Stoke against Manchester City and Chelsea being denied two clear penalties in a drawn game. I have not even highlighted the fact that Manchester United score goals from corners that should have been goal kicks and other such decisions. Many people think that it is because of United’s superb defending at Old Trafford that penalties have not been awarded to visiting teams for so many years.

The perception is that the Premier League is a league of integrity and long may that be, but the reality is that unless these so called co-incidences are addressed people will start to ask more questions than there are answers given. United will continue to accrue undeserved points unless something is done to address this scourge. They are up against my beloved Arsenal this weekend at Old Trafford so I am hoping that we get treated fairly.

I think, considering that the spotlight is firmly on the officials and if they have two bad weeks in a row in favour of Man United, then that would be too much of a co-incidence we should receive unbiased decisions which would make a refreshing change.

 

Written by Goolam Rawat

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Aritz Aduriz: The Bright Light for Bilbao

  By O-Posts Team | October 30, 2012 - 17:13 | , , ,
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Where did it all go wrong for Athletic Bilbao? At the end of last season they had emerged as almost everyone’s second favourite side; their run in the UEFA Europa League had won them many admirers and it was thought the club would go from strength to strength.

However, the summer then came along and slowly but surely discontentment descended upon the club. The manager, Marcelo Bielsa, very nearly walked out on the club; their leading striker, Fernando Llorente, expressed his desire to leave the San Mames and lastly their centre back and defensive lynchpin Javi Martinez left for Bayern Munich during the summer transfer window.

This was the season that many obsersvers thought would see Bilbao competing for a place among Europe’s elite by qualifying for the Champions League. Instead the club find themselves near the bottom of the Primera Division having had a terrible start to the season. However, one shining light thus far has been the return of Aritz Aduriz; the 31 year old striker was signed from Valencia this summer and has scored six goals in nine games in the league.

The form of Aduriz has been a welcome relief for Bielsa who has been fighting his own battles with Llorente and has thus not been playing the Spanish International striker. It has meant that Aduriz has become arguably one of Los Leones’ most important players this season and of the eight points they have currently secured seven of them have come as a result of his goals.

It is Aduriz’s third spell at Bilbao which has made the transition easier as he knows many of the players and personnel within the club already. As well as being a good finisher he also thrives on the kind of link up play everyone became so accustomed to witnessing last season between Llorente and Muniain. Indeed Aduriz is similar in stature to aforementioned Llorente which is probably why he has enjoyed initial success this season.

There is no doubt that Bilbao are not where they should be so far this season. Whilst many thought that Malaga would struggle it is the Basque team that have been the disappointment. The club appears to be wrapped in turmoil and from week to week it appears to become more unstable. It appears inevitable that Llorente will move on in the January transfer window as his contract expires at the end of the season and that will place more dependency on Aduriz’s goal scoring.

If Bilbao are to turn this early season disappointment into something more positive the club are going to have to come together. In Aduriz they have a player who clearly cares for the club and seems determined to drive them up the table. So far this season the club have failed to find any consistency but without their new striker the situation could be considerably worse.

Few would have expected Aduriz to have been the shining light thus far but many fans are now hoping that he can continue it for the remainder of the season.

 

Written by Andy Hunter

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The Myth of English Football

  By O-Posts Team | October 30, 2012 - 15:56 | , ,
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The iconic image of Bobby Moore lifting the Jules Rimet trophy in 1966 is burned into the mind of every self-respecting English football fan. It represented the peak of English football; a deserved triumph for the creators (and in that year, perfectionists) of the game.

It was a mark that stood England up among the World’s elite, where we would stay forever and a day…

Yeah, right.

Truth is, England haven’t recovered since that fateful day at Wembley, and despite an over-reaching media and a “We’ll win the next one” mentality, it doesn’t look like we’ll be heading towards another World Cup or European Championship win anytime soon.

At the last World Cup, England were knocked out in the second round. Ghana and Paraguay both progressed, despite being ranked 32nd and 38th by FIFA. England, by comparison, are 5th.

Now, truth be told, England were playing a brilliant German side on the day (Paraguay faced off against Japan, and only then won on penalties; Ghana saw off the United States), and probably deserved to lose. However, the English’s disappointment was palpable, and many people felt let down by a loss in the quarter finals, especially after only finishing second in their group, missing out on top spot (England finished with 2 goals scored, as opposed to 1st place USA’s 4).

England struggled in the World Cup, finishing after 4 games with only 3 games scored (although I don’t need to tell you this – most English fans are well aware of the poor performance in South Africa).

Green….. reacts to his infamous howler in South Africa.

Euro 2012 was, truth be told, a turning point for England. Many fans went in not thinking they were going to win the tournament, and the effect was devastating; they finished atop of their group, despite having a harder group than they faced in 2010 (The teams faced in 2010 had an average FIFA ranking of 30.3, compared to 25.3 in 2012). The squad had not changed an incredible amount since 2010; if anything, it had gotten (arguably) weaker.

 

What had changed?

 

The media stopped pretending like we could win the Euro’s, and the fans stopped believing it. They were no more “30 years of hurt” songs, and no interviews with English Internationals talking about how “this is our year”. Despite being ranked 8th heading into the 2010 World Cup and 7th heading into Euro 2012, no English fans truly expected to do well.

Only after a fantastic group stage and a place in the quarter-finals did English fans begin to believe; after that, they were doomed. A loss on penalties (of all bloody things) soon ensued, and so England were dumped out, but not without a moral victory; inspired performances showing us the best way to believe in success is to not believe at all.

This may not seem relevant, seeing as though Euro 2012 was several months ago, and the last World Cup 2 years ago, but with World Cup qualifiers being played already, it’s time to remind English fans to breathe. Yes, a tie against Poland may not be considered a fantastic result (Poland sit 60 places behind England in the notorious FIFA World Rankings), but are England supposed to be considered the 5th best team in the World? Probably not.

 

Allow me to take this moment to send a message to all the Englishmen and women: Keep calm, never hope for the best, and enjoy the quarter finals.

 

Written by Cormac O’Brien

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Championship so far: Brighton

  By O-Posts Team | October 30, 2012 - 14:08 | , ,
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After emerging in the Championship last term, many were not sure what to expect from Brighton this year. While the Seagulls were very impressive last season, there was a worry that they could suffer from the dreaded second-season syndrome this time around.

Following the opening couple of months of the campaign, the jury is certainly still out on Gus Poyet’s men and as the team currently sit in 10th position, coincidentally the same place they finished last term, it remains to be seen if they will launch any sort of improvement over the next few months.

 

The Results

It would be fair to say that Brighton started the opening few games of the season in very indifferent fashion although it didn’t take long for the club to find their feet. They started an excellent run of form with a 5-1 win over Barnsley and proceeded to win their next five games which put them right up there with the top teams in the division.

Unfortunately, their form has drifted somewhat over the last few weeks and the Seagulls are currently on a winless run of six games.
While three of these results have been draws, it has still halted their playoff push significantly and supporters will be hoping for an upturn in fortunes in the very near future.

It has to be said that they are only three points adrift from 6th place but considering the competitive nature of the Championship this term, it could still take some very good form to re-establish themselves amongst the top cluster of sides again.

 

The Summer Buys

There’s no doubt that Brighton signed two exceptionally high-profile players in the summer in the form of Wayne Bridge and Tomasz Kuszczak.

In the case of the former, Bridge has performed admirably and not only has he been an ever-present in the Seagulls team, he has also managed a couple of goals which is something he has struggled to do throughout his career. Kuszczak has also played in every league game and is starting to show the form that caused Manchester United to sign him all those years ago.

Kuszczak…. impressive summer signing for the Seagulls.

However, while the above two may have performed well, others have struggled to break into Gus Poyet’s starting eleven – mainly due to form and fitness concerns. The likes of Andrea Orlandi, David Lopez, Stephen Dobbie and Andrew Crofts have all struggled to be regulars for various reasons so it’ll be interesting to see how their careers at the Falmer Stadium turn out.

Spanish defender Bruno has made a slightly better impact and after managing eleven appearances, the full back already looks to be a decent acquisition for Poyet.

 

The Verdict

In comparison with a lot of teams in the Championship, Brighton brought plenty of players to the club although at the time of writing, a lot of these men are still trying to acclimatize to life with the Seagulls. Nevertheless, Gus Poyet had a very good squad from last term and after starting the season so well, it’s clear their team has potential.

Therefore, we don’t think it will be long before the club shake off this string of poor form and start to make a serious push for the top six places.

 

Author Biography

Liam runs his own sports betting website which aims to publish betting bonuses from all of the bookmakers in the country. He also follows cricket, horse racing and tennis.

 

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Adam’s Premier League Column: Weekly Roundup 9- Drama at Goodison Park and Stamford Bridge

  By O-Posts Team | October 29, 2012 - 22:47 | ,
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Above: Suarez celebrates his opener by pretending to dive in front of Everton boss David Moyes as the Everton faithful look on.

Above: Suarez celebrates his opener by pretending to dive in front of Everton boss David Moyes as the Everton faithful look on.

We witnessed yet again the wonders and drama that the Premier League delivers week in week out.

 

Everton 2 Liverpool 2

The honours were all even after a tasty Merseyside derby. Everton had to come from 2-0 down to draw level, and a point was about right for both sides. Liverpool took the lead early in the first half through a Suarez striker which took a slight deflection of Toffee’s left back Leighton Baines. Suarez then doubled Liverpool’s lead after heading in a perfectly weighted cross from captain Steven Gerrard after twenty minutes.

Two minutes later, Leon Osman netted to half the deficit, then Everton went on from there. Everton kept on pressing and were eventually rewarded, as Steven Naismith converted a Marouane Fellaini cross to draw level on 35 minutes. The pace slowed down come the second half, but still provided top entertainment.

In the dying embers of the game, Luis Suarez believed to have secured the three points, only to look across to see the Linesman’s flag raised. I think Everton will be very happy to come away with a draw, especially being 2-0 down. Liverpool clearly have some work to do, and if they didn’t have Suarez, then who knows what position they would be in.

 

Chelsea 2 Manchester United 3

I think Chelsea were still frightened from their Halloween party on Saturday night! They were caught cold by United, and in the fourth minute, a Robin van Persie shot cannoned of the post to hit the wrong footed David Luiz to put past his own ‘keeper. Eight minutes later, van Persie got his name on the score-sheet. His movement was world class to lose his man, and he took the finish well, curling in a right footed shot from a Valencia cross.

Manchester United were in utter control, although Chelsea still looked to be threatening, but they just couldn’t convert their chances from numerous set pieces, most notably Gary Cahill. Chelsea’s persistence paid off, and just before the interval Juan Mata wonderfully guided a free-kick past the helpless united goalie De Gea to send the Pensioners with something positive to think about.

This game was a true test for Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo, as since he took over from AVB he hasn’t been in such a challenging position (excluding the Champions League final, of course!) Chelsea came out fighting, and were yet again rewarded for their efforts, this time Ramires converted a header from close range.

The drama didn’t stop there though. Chelsea were the victims of two sending’s off, the first came on 62 minutes when the on running Ashley Young, who was back from injury, was clipped by Ivanovic who was the last man and he gave referee Mark Clattenburg no other option. Six minutes later, Torres was also shown his second yellow for an alleged dive, perhaps harshly. Justice was done however, as the Spaniard committed a dangerous foul earlier on in this fast-paced game.

The two red cards forced Di Matteo to reshuffle the side by bringing off Oscar, Hazard and Mata – his most influential players.

Prior to Torres’ sending off, Sir Alex Ferguson brought on Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez, who changed the scope of the game completely. A scramble in the box saw Rafael stab the ball goal wards for it to find the Mexican, who was in an offside position, to slot past Peter Cech.

Chelsea will find themselves hard done by, and who can blame them.

 

Manchester City 1 Swansea 0

Man City wanted to bounce back from their mid-week Champions League heartache by beating a strong Swansea outfit. It was a close fought game, with a second half Carlos Tevez strike separating both sides. A reshuffle in personnel by boss Mancini, which saw Lescott replaced by Nastasic and Agϋro in for Dzeko, seemed to work.

The first half came and went, and the second half was a mere improvement. Carlos Tevez smacked in an effort from far out. Goalkeeper Vorm was injured as a result of the goal, and had to be stretchered off.

 

Wigan 2 West Ham 1

West Ham ended their run of good form at the hands of Wigan at the DW stadium. The Hammers looked weary throughout the game, and the Latics thoroughly deserved the three points. Wigan went in front in the eighth minute via a wonder strike from centre back Ramis, which saw his left footed volley (from a corner) sail past Jaaskelainen.

Wigan further dominated the match, and doubled their lead just after the interval, this time midfielder McArthur pounced on a miskick by the Hammers ‘keeper. West Ham failed to test Latics goalie Ali Al Habsi until the final minute, when James Tomkins netted to half the score line.

 

Arsenal 1 QPR 0

Arsenal left it late to secure the three points and avoid further embarrassment. Last weekend they lost 1-0 to Norwich and also lost 2-0 to Schalke in the Champions League.

The Gunners defence has been inconsistent lately, and the finger has been rightly pointed at assistant manager and former player Steve Bould, but they managed to keep a clean sheet against struggling Queens Park Rangers.

One of England’s and Arsenal’s most promising talents Jack Wilshere made his first senior appearance for seventeen months and played sixty minutes at the Emirates, and he didn’t look to have lost his magic touch. He has done really well to stay strong throughout his time on the side-lines, as it is a true test of one’s character. Nonetheless, he played really well and his future looks ever so bright.

Arsenal had a few chances to take the lead but couldn’t capitalise, and they were dominating the match more that the score line suggests. The winning goal came moments after Mbia was shown red for a kick on Arsenal defender Thomas Vermaelen. Arteta’s initial shot hit the bar, but he followed up to poke in from close range.

 

Aston Villa 1 Norwich 1

Villa boss Paul Lambert was the centre of attention in this game for only one reason. The legal battle that surrounds Lambert and the two clubs is still in the air, and all is not forgotten. Villa have been struggling for goals lately, but went 1-0 ahead via Belgium forward Benteke who slotted calmly past ‘keeper John Ruddy.

Villa were reduced to ten men after Joe Bennett was sent off for a second bookable offence. That sending off put Villa on the back foot, and from that moment onwards they struggled to contain the Canaries.

Norwich had the last chirp as Turner headed in to earn a deserved point.

 

Reading 3 Fulham 3

This was a cracker at the Madejski Stadium. The deadlock was broken after 26 minutes as midfielder Leigertwood scored a wonderful goal to put Reading ahead. Fulham then equalised after Bryan Ruiz came off the bench to make the score 1-1 with a spectacular strike on 61 minutes, his first of the season.

Fulham then turned the game on its head as this time they took the lead through Chris Baird’s near post header. Then a dramatic last five minutes ensued. McCleary leveled for Reading from seven yards out on 85 minutes. Three minutes later, Dimitar Berbatov curled in a shot for what he believed to be a winner.

In the 90th, Robson-Kanu came out on top in a defensive scramble to poke home past Mark Schwarzer to earn a point. In the last minute of injury time, Reading had a chance to win, but Schwarzer made two superb saves to keep the spoils even.

 

Newcastle 2 West Brom 1

Another dramatic game! Newcastle took the lead through Demba Ba’s strike on 31 minutes. Romelu Lukaku, on-loan from Chelsea netted to equalise. Newcastle were on the back foot for the majority of the match, but found themselves ahead with less than a minute to play, as Shola Ameobi’s shot cannoned off the back of Cisse’s back and into the goal.

When asked for his reaction to the loss, Baggie’s boss Steve Clark told BBC Sport, “I certainly didn’t think it would be a game we were going to lose. I thought we had good control in the first half and created good chances. I felt we were unfortunate to be behind at half-time. It was a horrible moment, a big deflection in injury time and it’s in the back of the net.”

 

Southampton 1 Tottenham 2

Gareth Bale headed in against his former club to give Spurs the lead after 15 minutes. Clint Dempsey then doubled the lead after Jermain Defoe’s initial shot was cleared off the line. Rodriquez then gave the Saints some hope after he scored to make the score-line 2-1.

Southampton couldn’t keep the momentum going, and Tottenham fully deserved their three points. A disappointing loss for Nigel Adkins’ Saints.

 

Stoke 0 Sunderland 0

A poor game, and one to forget really. Mignolet’s double save in the first half was the highlight of the game, and the Black Cats have him to thank for the point. A draw was well deserved for both sides, although I feel Stoke will be a bit frustrated with their performance.

 

My Team of the Week

 

Written by Adam May

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