MANCHESTER DERBY!!!

Previous result; 6-1 to Man City.

Our prediction for today; 2-2.

 

 

 

OK so the title could be decided today after the massive game between the Manchester clubs.

If City pull three point out of the game tonight, its going to be hell of a fight, if Utd win tonight its good night. As simple as that.

After tonight's game there are two games remaining for both clubs. But we can't see either of the Manchester clubs losing their games.

Man City's last two games are Newcastle and QPR. Newcastle are capable of upsetting the blues at St James park but its unlikely having seen the magpies against Wigan on the weekend. And as for QPR they can always pull a surprise out of the bag, but with City being at home on the last day of the season (and the title may be decided right at the end) we see City winning comfortably.

Man Utd's last two games are Swansea at old trafford and Sunderland away. If the title race is still on then we all know how strong Man Utd are when it comes to a fight towards the latter part of the season. They are masters at it. Utd to win both games.


So it is all about tonight. Have City got enough fight to see off Utd and win there last two games? Maybe.

City on their day look like a world beating team and so they should with the value of their squad.
But on the other hand, City have had some poor displays that give us the impression they are not quite ready to win the premiership this year. Next year??? Maybe.

Utd lead by three points, and City trail but with a greater goal difference.

We can not wait for kick off and we are sure everyone who loves the beautiful game of football can't wait either.

So come on City and Utd put on a show for all the football lovers.

Cheers pps and we wish you all a very happy viewing!

footballcrazybaby loves ya all! lol

 

GAME ON! Man City vs Man Utd

Manchester City and Manchester United face crunch derby

Barclays Premier League

Venue: Etihad Stadium    Date: Monday, 30/4/12
 

Manchester City host rivals Manchester United on Monday night knowing victory would give them the edge in the Premier League title race.

United travel to Etihad Stadium with a three-point lead over their rivals, but have an inferior goal difference.
City kept the pressure on the leaders with a 2-0 win over Wolves last weekend as United drew 4-4 with Everton.

 

Victory for City would put them level with Sir Alex Ferguson's men with just two games remaining.

United have the edge in the head-to-heads, having won 67 of the 161 matches between the two clubs with City coming out on top in 44.
However, the last time the two sides met in the league, City thumped United 6-1 - the Red Devils' heaviest-ever Premier League defeat and the first time they had conceded six goals at Old Trafford since 1930.
"This is the derby game of all derby games," said Ferguson. "It is our city rivals and that makes everyone step up a notch in terms of anticipation.

"Our fans will look upon it [a possible league win] as a special one because they are our fans' most bitter rivals, there is no getting away from that. It means everything to the fans and I think going into work on Tuesday morning will be the most important day of their lives for both sets of supporters.

"People are brought up through their grandfathers, their great grandfathers, their grandmothers to be what they are. You can't change a family's traits. It is steeped in the blood of these supporters and they will give everything to win this game on Monday."
With so much at stake, City manager Roberto Mancini is hoping that this derby will pass peacefully.

LAWRO'S PREDICTION

Mark Lawrenson Football Analyst

"I see Sir Alex Ferguson treating this match like a Champions League group game, where they need a point. And the way to get it against good sides is to always pose a threat."

"It is a football day and not war and, for this reason, I hope all supporters will enjoy the game," said Mancini, who admitted he is worried about the day.

"The United game is like a final and you can lose these games; you are not playing against a small team."
While City's home record is favourable, with 21 wins in their last 22 matches in the top flight, the Blues have not scored at home against United in the league for nearly five years.
But recent form suggests City are favourites. Roberto Mancini's men have won their last three games, scoring 13 goals in the process.
United, meanwhile, have taken just four points from a possible nine, which included losing a 4-2 lead to draw with Everton at Old Trafford.
But if United win and then triumph in their two remaining games, they will finish with 92 points to equal their best Premier League tally, achieved when they won the title in 1994.
City visit Newcastle next after the derby clash and then face QPR at home, while United take on Swansea at Old Trafford before finishing with a trip to Sunderland.

 Did you know?
Manchester City have scored 87 goals so far this season. That's their highest total in the top flight since they netted 100 during the 1957-58 season.

Article from bbc/football. Link to article below;
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17875773

More to come / end of season

Hey pps, as you know the season is coming to an end, so we have a little short list of what we will be doing.

We know we feel sad also, but hey check out below to see whats going to be happening at footballcrazybaby.blogspot.com.

The BBC are currently letting the public vote with regards to the BEST premier league team. So we are going to put together what we think the team should be.

The title race is looking as if it could be won or lost between the two Manchester clubs on derby day. We will be doing a good write up on that, a few funny clips and we might throw in a few goals to view aswel.

We will be putting together our final England team for the Euros. Along with our thoughts of the selection made by whoever is in charge at the time.

Also we will be looking into the selection of team GB for the Olympics. And of course selecting our own team.

We will be looking into the relegation battle, and discuss why the three relegated clubs got relegated. And why the clubs that survived managed to stay in the premier league.

We will have a little look at a few funny videos. Located on out 'fun stuff tab'.

The FA cup final is a must. The build up, the game and post game write ups. (jamstar is a Liverpool fc fan whilst Dave is a Chelsea fan) so we expect to see a bit of banter between them on here too.

And of course the champions league final. The build up, the game, and post game write ups.

Cheers to everyone for following us. Have a great end of season. footballcrazybaby

Roy Hodgson approached by FA over England manager's job.

West Bromwich Albion have granted the Football Association permission to talk to Roy Hodgson about the vacant England manager's position.

Hodgson, 64, has already spoken with FA chairman David Bernstein about replacing Fabio Capello.

Bernstein said: "Roy is the only manager we have approached and we remain on course to make an appointment within the timescale we set out. 

"Further conversations will now take place with Roy."

Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp had been heavily linked with the England job ever since Capello left the post in February, but the FA has decided to discuss the position with Hodgson, who has previous international experience from his time in charge of Switzerland and Finland.

Hodgson, who had a disappointing spell in charge of Liverpool last season, has steered West Brom to mid-table in the Premier League.
 Albion chairman Jeremy Peace hopes he will stay on at the Hawthorns.

Peace said: "Roy has done a fantastic job over the past 15 months and the fact the FA wants to discuss the England role with him is testament to that.
"Roy is a proud Englishman and we can understand why he wants to speak to the FA about this highly prestigious managerial position.

Archive: Triesman tips Hodgson for England job in March 2012

"However, we have emphasised to Roy how much we would like him to remain as our head coach and continue his major contribution to our project at the Hawthorns as we look to establish ourselves as a Premier League club.

"Everyone here has an excellent working relationship with him and he is immensely popular with our supporters." 
Hodgson's contract with West Brom ends on 30 June.

England have two fixtures before their Euro 2012 opener against France on 11 June, with friendlies planned against Norway on 26 May and Belgium on 2 June.

Stuart Pearce - who is in charge of both the England Under-21 side and the Team GB Olympic squad - is currently in charge and oversaw a 3-2 friendly defeat by the Netherlands at Wembley last month.

Pearce said he would be prepared to lead the team into Euro 2012 and stated earlier this week that he could name the squad on or around 10 May if no new manager was in place by that date.

West Brom are due to end their Premier League campaign against Arsenal on 13 May.


Article from bbc/sport. Link below;
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17888928

Spurs back into 4th as Blackburn sit 19th

Picture By Mandeep Sanghera BBC Sport

   Tottenham2  -  0 Blackburn

                                    Van der Vaart 22′
                                                        Walker 75′

Tottenham moved back into fourth place in the Premier League as they beat a poor Blackburn side whose relegation fears increased with the defeat.

Rafael van der Vaart lashed Spurs ahead with a close-range shot after Gareth Bale's header came back off the bar.

Harry Redknapp

A William Gallas near-post header also struck the crossbar as Spurs dominated.
Kyle Walker curled in an exquisite 25-yard free-kick to secure a home win against second-from-bottom Rovers, who did not muster a single attempt.

After one win in nine, Tottenham knew they needed a victory after Chelsea had overtaken them with a win against QPR and the White Hart Lane outfit duly rose to the challenge as they leapfrogged the Blues and Newcastle to regain fourth spot.

Spurs will now hope they can continue their return to form and finish third, as they know fourth place will not be good enough for a Champions League spot if Chelsea win the final of Europe's top club competition on 19 May.

Analysis

Jonathan Pearce BBC Match of the Day commentator

"Spurs are back to winning ways to give them hope of a Champions League place and they could have had four or five. Blackburn got what they deserved, absolutely nothing. This was a poor performance by them and they will need a huge improvement to stay up."

Blackburn had the incentive of drawing level with relegation rivals Bolton and QPR but, while there was plenty to admire about Spurs, Rovers succumbed in a fashion which left ominous signs that the drop looms. 

The visitors have the worst record in the top flight for conceding goals on the road and, after quickly retreating under Tottenham's pressure, they soon surrendered the lead.

A long-range Sandro shot smacked against the crossbar before Bale's header from Aaron Lennon's cross came off the woodwork and Van der Vaart pounced.

It was a Spurs performance which possessed much of what has been behind their success this season, with the movement and vision of Luka Modric and Van der Vaart proving key.

Blackburn still have belief - Kean

The home side's passing was sharp, there was pace and purpose to their play and, most importantly, they finished off their superiority with two goals after a run of scoring six in eight Premier League outings.

The woodwork had rescued Blackburn when a Gallas header hit the crossbar and, although Spurs had to wait until the 75th minute to add a second, it was worth the wait.

Right-back Walker curled a long-range free-kick out of the despairing reach of ex-Spurs keeper Paul Robinson.

Blackburn might have attempted to take the game to Spurs considering their precarious position but they failed to test home keeper Brad Friedel, leaving them three points from safety with games at home to Wigan and away to Chelsea left.

Lineups;

Tottenham Hotspur

• 24 Friedel
• 04 Kaboul
• 13 Gallas
• 28 Walker
• 03 Bale
• 07 Lennon (Giovani - 84' )
• 11 Van der Vaart (Defoe - 88' )
• 14 Modric
• 25 Rose
• 30 Sandro (Livermore - 86' )
• 10 Adebayor

Substitutes

• 23 Cudicini
• 26 King
• 33 Nelsen
• 29 Livermore
• 15 Saha
• 17 Giovani
• 18 Defoe

Blackburn Rovers

• 01 Robinson
• 05 Givet
• 16 Dann
• 18 Orr
• 08 Dunn (Goodwillie - 84' )
• 10 Formica
• 12 Pedersen
• 21 Ms Olsson
• 35 Lowe
• 23 Hoilett
• 24 Yakubu (Modeste - 72' )

Substitutes

• 34 Kean
• 03 Mn Olsson
• 14 Petrovic
• 15 Nzonzi
• 09 Modeste
• 20 Rochina
• 25 Goodwillie

Ref: Jones

Att: 35,798

Article from bbc/sport. Link below;

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17803505

£50 Million Torres smashes QPR

Picture By Marc Higginson BBC Sport

 

Fernando Torres scored a brilliant hat-trick to boost Chelsea's hopes of a top-four finish and pile the misery on relegation-threatened QPR. Daniel Sturridge scored after 45 seconds before John Terry headed home and Torres struck twice as Chelsea swept into a 4-0 lead after 25 minutes.

Chelsea energy surprises Di Matteo

Torres sealed his hat-trick after the break, with Florent Malouda making it 6-0 before Djibril Cisse's consolation.

Chelsea are sixth, with QPR above the drop zone on goal difference.
Playing with the sort of confidence and ability which persuaded Blues owner Roman Abramovich to pay £50m for his services, Torres ripped the Rangers defence to pieces with his direct running and clinical finishing.

Clearly buoyed by his goal against Barcelona in the Champions League, he continually latched on to clever, probing through balls from Juan Mata, Salomon Kalou and Sturridge.
And if the Champions League victory over Barcelona was built on solid foundations, this demolition was more to do with sheer skill and class.

Did you know?

• The victory over QPR was Chelsea's 400th in the Premier League

From the moment Sturridge cut inside and fired home from 25 yards, there was only going to be one winner. 

Terry doubled the home side's lead, heading home Mata's corner, before Torres ran on to Kalou's delightful pass to round Paddy Kenny and make it 3-0, with his second coming as Nedum Onuoha and Paddy Kenny made a complete hash of a clearance.

After Mata missed a good chance to make it five shortly after half-time, Jamie Mackie almost offered his side something to cheer about when his stinging shot was turned wide by Petr Cech.

Hughes demands QPR improvement

Torres looked to be getting closer to his first hat-trick since 2009 when his powerful shot from the edge of the area was beaten away by Kenny.

And the moment finally came in the 64th minute when the Spaniard was put through on goal by Mata's inch-perfect pass and he side-footed into the far corner.

Substitute Malouda made it six when he smashed in from close range before Cisse hooked a shot across Cech into the net.

It was of little consolation for the Hoops, whose inadequacies were woefully exposed by their rampant hosts.

There was still time for Chelsea supporters to sing the name of caretaker manager Roberto di Matteo and, after finally getting the best out of his owner's £50m investment, what price the Italian being given the job on a permanent basis?

Lineups;

Chelsea

• 01 Cech
• 03 Cole
• 17 Bosingwa (Hutchinson - 81' )
• 19 Ferreira
• 26 Terry
• 05 Essien
• 08 Lampard
• 09 Torres
• 10 Mata (Malouda - 67' )
• 21 Kalou (Ramires - 73' )
• 23 Sturridge

Substitutes

• 22 Turnbull
• 27 Hutchinson
• 06 Romeu
• 07 Ramires
• 15 Malouda
• 16 Meireles
• 11 Drogba

Queens Park Rangers

• 01 Kenny
• 03 Hill
• 34 Taiwo
• 35 Ferdinand
• 42 Onuoha
• 04 Derry
• 14 Buzsaky (Traore - 66' )
• 17 Barton Booked
• 12 Mackie
• 23 Cisse
• 52 Zamora (Wright-Phillips - 78' )

Substitutes

• 24 Cerny
• 06 Gabbidon
• 13 Traore
• 18 Young
• 32 Wright-Phillips
• 09 Campbell
• 21 Smith

Ref: H Webb

Att: 41,675

 

 

Chelsea 6
 

Sturridge 1′ Terry 13′ Torres 19′, 25′, 64′ Malouda 80′

 

 QPR 1
 

Cisse 84′

• FT 90 +5
• HT 4-0 

The article is from the bbc/sport website. Link below;
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17803533

We are so happy for Muamba

Fabrice Muamba returns to Twitter as his recovery continues

Fabrice Muamba has returned to Twitter for the first time since his cardiac arrest and may be present when Bolton play Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday. 

Muamba posted a message thanking fans for their support before captain Kevin Davies revealed the midfielder could be in the crowd at the Reebok in midweek.

"That would give us a huge lift," said Davies.

Muamba's heart stopped beating naturally for 78 minutes after his cardiac arrest on 17 March.
 
But he has stunned doctors with his rapid recovery, leaving hospital to return home on 16 April.
 
He wrote on Saturday:  "Thank you so much for your prayers, love and support. Good to be back on Twitter."

The Congo-born star also sent a good luck message to his Bolton team-mates ahead of their match at Sunderland, writing: "Hoping Bolton pick up three points today. Come on lads, we can do this."

Muamba was unconscious for three days after collapsing on the pitch during his team's FA Cup quarter-final match against Tottenham.

A consultant cardiologist attending the game as a fan rushed to his aid on the pitch but the player failed to respond to 15 defibrillator shocks before his heart finally started beating again.

His condition began to improve rapidly after he was stabilised at the London Chest Hospital.
The former England under-21 star described his recovery as "more than a miracle".
 
It is not yet known if Muamba will recover sufficiently to play professional football again.

Davies believes Muamba's presence back at the Reebok would give the club a huge lift as they battle to stay in the Premier League.

"There's talk that he could be coming to the Spurs game," said the 35-year-old Davies after scoring twice in Bolton's 2-2 draw at Sunderland on Saturday.
 
"We're delighted for him and now we're looking to address football matters."

Article from bbc/sport. Link below;
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17881669

8 goal thriller Swansea vs Wolves

Picture By

Bruce Pope 

BBC Sport Wales

 

SWANSEA 4 - 4 WOLVES 

Orlandi 1'             Fletcher 28'

Allen 4'                 Jarvis 33'

Dyer 15'               Edwards 54'

Graham 31'         Jarvis 69' 

 

Matt Jarvis's two goals spearheaded a thrilling Wolves fightback at Swansea.

In a breathless start Andrea Orlandi and Nathan Dyer headed in for Swansea either side of Joe Allen's low strike.

Steven Fletcher looped in a header in reply before Danny Graham's close-range curler made it 4-1, only for Jarvis to drill in from Kevin Doyle's cross.

Dave Edwards burst through the middle for Wolves' third and Jarvis completed the recovery as he slid in to convert Fletcher's cross.

Wolves arrived at the Liberty Stadium bottom of the Premier League and already relegated, and the early signs were that they would sink into the Championship with a whimper.

Swansea took the lead within 46 seconds when Scott Sinclair, on the left wing, was allowed to turn inside and deliver a curling cross with his right foot.
Orlandi, who had not scored for two years, rose highest to flick his header over Dorus de Vries in the Wolves goal.

De Vries opted to leave the Welsh club to join Wolves at the end of last season and his former team-mates soon had the Dutchman stooping to pick the ball out of the net for a second time. 

Graham and Gylfi Sigurdsson combined to send Allen through the middle, and the midfielder's shot took a deflection off Richard Stearman to leave De Vries stranded.

A third goal arrived within 15 minutes when Orlandi was allowed to drive into the left of the Wolves area before squaring for Dyer to head in at the back post.

Wolves' lackadaisical defending was catching and the visitors pulled a goal back as the Swansea defence dozed, allowing an unmarked Fletcher to head home from Doyle's cross.

Graham restored Swansea's three-goal cushion when Dyer was allowed two bites to squeeze the ball across goal for the striker to end an 11-game goal drought.
But back came Wolves as Doyle, this time popping up on the right, sent a steepling cross towards Jarvis to smash home despite Ashley Williams' attempted block.

Swans manager Brendan Rodgers had started with an experimental 3-4-3 formation, but a knock to Orlandi allowed him to bring on Wales left-back Neil Taylor instead of the midfielder for the second half.

Sigurdsson nearly extended the Welsh side's lead twice in a matter of moments, first hitting the post from the edge of the area and then bringing a fine save out of De Vries.
Instead it was Wolves who scored the next goal, as Michael Kightly played a reverse-pass into the path of Edwards for the Wales midfielder to shoot low into the far corner.

Edwards was also heavily involved in the 69th-minute equaliser, finding Fletcher in space on the left, the striker in turn threading the ball across for Jarvis to grab his second.

Kightly had a late chance to strike an improbable winner when Sylvan Ebanks-Blake picked him out on the right, but the Wolves midfielder skied his shot over.

A topsy-turvy game would not have been complete without one more Swansea chance deep into injury time, but substitute Luke Moore was well tackled by Ward before he could get his shot goalwards.

But while Wolves will be in the Championship next season, despite their show of spirit, the point was enough for Swansea to mathematically guarantee their involvement in the Premier League next season.

Swansea manager Brendan Rodgers:
"Obviously I'm a bit disappointed, for the first 30 minutes of the game we were sensational… we lost our concentration before half-time and then second half we just didn't defend well as a team.
 "But give credit to Wolves. It's been a tough time for Terry [manager Terry Connor] since he's gone in there, I think he's been admirable on how he's coped with it all and many teams at 3-0 down here… would maybe fall away but they never did that. 
"They kept fighting and it's a great credit to Terry and the players that they did that."
 
Wolves boss Terry Connor: "Since I took over, every time we've travelled away the fans have been absolutely terrific, right behind the lads, right by myself and they've applauded them at the end of every game.
"That's credit to those fans who have come and supported us through thick and thin.
"I'll give a full review [to the Wolves board] at the end of the season, give my thoughts, what we've done well and what we haven't done so well. Whatever path the club decide to take next season it will be for the benefit of the football club."

 

Line-ups;

Swansea City

• 01 Vorm
• 02 Williams
• 04 Caulker
• 16 Monk
• 07 Britton Booked
• 08 Orlandi (Taylor - 46' )
• 11 Sinclair
• 12 Dyer
• 24 Allen
• 42 Sigurdsson
• 10 Graham (Moore - 82' Booked )

Substitutes

• 25 Tremmel
• 03 Taylor
• 15 Routledge
• 17 McEachran
• 27 Gower
• 18 Lita
• 19 Moore

Wolverhampton Wanderers

• 31 De Vries
• 05 Stearman
• 11 Ward Booked
• 16 Berra
• 32 Foley
• 04 Edwards
• 07 Kightly
• 08 Henry
• 17 Jarvis (Hunt - 72' )
• 10 Fletcher (Ebanks-Blake - 76' )
• 29 Doyle

Substitutes

• 13 Ikeme
• 14 Johnson
• 23 Zubar
• 12 Hunt
• 20 Milijas
• 22 Jonsson
• 09 Ebanks-Blake

Ref: Moss

Att: 19,408

 

 

Article from bbc/sport. Link is below;

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17796330

Hat-trick hero shows his magic

Picture

By 

Arindam Rej  

BBC Sport

 

 

 

 

 

 

 NORWICH VS LIVERPOOL 

                           Suarez 24' 28' 82'

 

A Luis Suarez hat-trick, including a brilliant strike from 45 yards, helped Liverpool ease past Norwich as they hit form ahead of the FA Cup final. 

Suarez scored his first after seizing on Steven Gerrard's through-ball and curling into the far corner.
His second followed when he surged down the right and fired beyond John Ruddy.

Jonjo Shelvey hit the bar with a header before Suarez completed his hat-trick in stunning fashion, lobbing Ruddy from close to the halfway line.

Suarez's third was the pick of an impressive bunch as he pounced on Elliott Ward's failure to keep possession near the halfway line then, spotting Ruddy off his line, executed an inch-perfect chip over the sprawling keeper. 

It sealed a welcome victory for Liverpool, who had looked in danger of sinking into the bottom half after winning two of 11 league matches before this one.

Although Chelsea await in the Cup final on Saturday, Kenny Dalglish's team did not look distracted as they recorded back-to-back wins for the first time in six months.

Mid-table Norwich look like a side who are winding down for the season and have lost three in a row for the first time in this impressive campaign.

It was an uncharacteristically clinical first-half display from Liverpool, with Suarez looking sharp and working well in tandem with the returning Gerrard, who had been rested the previous week against West Brom.
 
Liverpool wasted more chances in the second period but still looked in command. Paul Lambert's men were sloppy and missed the final-third physicality of Grant Holt, who only came on for the final 15 minutes.

Holt's omission was one of five changes, which was the same number of alterations that Liverpool made to their starting line-up, as Andy Carroll was left out of the squad.

That meant there were 15 English players starting, equalling the most in a Premier League fixture this season, the other being Bolton v Stoke on 6 November.

With so many changes, it was a low-key opening quarter as neither side gelled particularly effectively, but Norwich switched off for a four-minute spell and Suarez punished them. 

Gerrard provided the spark that led to Suarez's opener. He caught David Fox napping by intercepting a weak pass and then delivered the ball early to the Uruguayan, who burst clear and curled the ball into the far corner.

Liverpool nearly added a second instantly as Suarez cut the ball back for the unmarked Gerrard, whose 16-yard shot was blocked by Ryan Bennett.

Norwich were looking unsettled and the next goal came when Ward's failure to keep the ball allowed Suarez to go racing down the right flank before cutting inside and arrowing in powerfully. After that, Dalglish's men started looking comfortable in possession and in control of the game.

More fight was shown by Norwich early in the second half as Elliott Bennett unleashed a 25-yard effort that Pepe Reina saved, then Bradley Johnson headed wide from Anthony Pilkington's corner.

After Liverpool wasted several more opportunities, including Shelvey's headed attempt and a Suarez chip from 16 yards, Norwich sensed they could find a way back. James Vaughan headed wide from Russell Martin's cross and had a shot blocked by Jamie Carragher.

But the game was over when Suarez sealed his first Liverpool hat-trick in sublime style.

Norwich manager Paul Lambert: "You can't defend in that way against that calibre of player and think you can get away with it. If you're not 100% on your game, these things can certainly happen.

"It's a sore one. There are not many times when I have walked away from here disappointed in the three years I've been here but that was disappointing.

"I don't think we're ever lost three in a row - it's not too bad that it's taken this length of time - but we've still got two massive games to try to get through and that's what we'll try to do."

Line-ups,

Norwich City

• 01 Ruddy
• 03 Drury (R Martin - 12' )
• 22 Ward Booked
• 25 Naughton
• 33 R Bennett Booked
• 04 Johnson
• 12 Pilkington
• 15 Fox (Vaughan - 46' Booked )
• 17 E Bennett
• 24 Howson Booked
• 05 Morison (Holt - 76' )

Substitutes

• 31 Steer
• 02 R Martin
• 11 Surman
• 14 Hoolahan
• 08 Vaughan
• 09 Holt
• 21 Wilbraham

Liverpool

• 25 Reina
• 02 Johnson
• 03 Jose Enrique
• 05 Agger
• 23 Carragher
• 08 Gerrard (Coates - 85' )
• 14 Henderson
• 19 Downing
• 33 Shelvey
• 07 Suarez (Kuyt - 85' )
• 39 Bellamy

Substitutes

• 32 Doni
• 16 Coates
• 34 Kelly
• 37 Skrtel
• 11 Maxi
• 20 Spearing
• 18 Kuyt

Ref: Halsey

Att: 26,819

 

Article from the bbc/sport page. Link below;

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17796316

Wigan smash Newcastle Utd

WIGAN 4 - 0 NEWCASTLE UTD

Moses 13' 15'

Maloney 36'

Di Santo 45'

 

Wigan made it five wins out of seven as they moved three points clear of the relegation zone and dented Newcastle's hopes of finishing in the top four.

Victor Moses headed home to open the scoring and fired a second past Tim Krul less than two minutes later.
Shaun Maloney slotted in to extend the lead and Franco di Santo curled a brilliant fourth just before half-time.

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Wigan confidence pleases Martinez

Papiss Cisse struck the bar and post but Newcastle were soundly beaten as Wigan secured three vital points.

The Latics looked destined to go down for much of the season but incredibly they have taken 15 points from a possible 21, with two games remaining.

Roberto Martinez's men have lost just three of 13 fixtures since the start of February and will be confident of extending their Premier League stay to eight years.

Their feat was all the more remarkable given that Newcastle arrived at the DW Stadium following a run of six consecutive wins.

They remain in fourth place but know if Tottenham beat Blackburn at White Hart Lane they will drop to fifth on goal difference.

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Newcastle lacked intensity - Pardew

Fourth spot could ensure qualification for the Champions League - but only if Chelsea lose this year's final against Bayern Munich on 19 May.

Wigan passed and moved with pace and intent from the very first minute, utilising their wide players to pin their opponents back.
Their reward came when Emmerson Boyce crossed from the right and Moses held off Mike Williamson to nod the opener.

It was the first goal Newcastle had conceded in four games and they looked shell-shocked.
Yet that was no excuse for the space they afforded Wigan on their next attack as Maloney and Moses combined to feed Jean Beausejour.

The Chilean's cross was only partially cleared by Fabricio Coloccini and an on-rushing Moses slotted first-time into the bottom corner.

Newcastle tried to respond - Hatem ben Arfa curling a set-piece narrowly off target - but the visitors were horribly out of sorts.

Further punishment arrived when Di Santo threaded a pass behind Davide Santon for Maloney to race clear and finish across Krul.

Newcastle complained that James McCarthy was only cautioned for a challenge on Yohan Cabaye and then went close as Demba Ba drilled wide.
However, that was their only period of in the ascendancy all half and two minutes into stoppage time Wigan struck again.

Maloney shifted possession to Di Santo and with Cheik Tiote standing off, the Argentine unleashed a sensational curling chip.

Newcastle memorably came from 4-0 down at half-time to draw 4-4 with Arsenal last season and boss Alan Pardew would have sought a similar response on this occasion.

Yet it was Wigan who started the second half with greater urgency and Moses sliced wide before drawing a one-handed save from Krul.

Newcastle eventually generated some momentum and Cisse's curling effort came back off the bar, Ben Arfa shot just wide and Cisse inexplicably headed Ben Arfa's cross against the post from five yards.
It took a goal-line clearance from Coloccini to deny Wigan substitute Conon Sammon, but the result was never in doubt.

TEAM LINE UPS;

Wigan Athletic

• 26 Al Habsi
• 03 Alcaraz Booked
• 05 Caldwell
• 17 Boyce
• 31 Figueroa
• 04 McCarthy Booked
• 10 Maloney
• 11 Moses (Gomez - 83' )
• 16 McArthur
• 22 Beausejour
• 09 Di Santo (Sammon - 68' )

Substitutes

• 12 Pollitt
• 07 Crusat
• 14 Gomez
• 19 Jones
• 21 Diame
• 18 Sammon
• 20 Rodallega

Newcastle United

• 26 Krul
• 02 Coloccini
• 03 Santon
• 05 Simpson Booked (Perch - 81' )
• 06 Williamson
• 04 Cabaye (Ferguson - 83' )
• 10 Ben Arfa (R Taylor - 73' )
• 18 Gutierrez
• 24 Tiote
• 09 Cisse
• 19 Ba

Substitutes

• 35 Elliot
• 14 Perch
• 16 R Taylor
• 31 Ferguson
• 15 Gosling
• 20 Best
• 23 Sh Ameobi

Ref: Dean

Att: 22,187

 

Above article is from bbc/sport, link is below;

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17795332 

10 Men Chelsea - Final Please!!

Barcelona 2 - 2 Chelsea

Busquets 35
Iniesta 43
Ramires 45
Torres 90

Game / Set / Match.

The highly anticipated champions league heavyweight clash between Barcelona and Chelsea didn't disappoint.

A red card for John Terry, Pique Hospitalised, Messi missed a penalty, and Messi came to blows with Lampard as tempers started to rise.

We can speak on behalf of the world and say 'Barcelona were the favourites to reach the final' especially against a TEN man team for most of the game!
Another thorn in Di Matteo side was the early substitution forced upon him at 11 minutes, when Gary Cahill slipped in his own box and pulled his hamstring. 'Not something you want to do so early in a game, especially in a game with this much magnitude'.

Chelsea set out to shut up shop and hit Barcelona on the break. Of which, they done so well last night at the Camp Nou.

Chelsea were stubborn, professional 'exept for JT who got sent off, we will get to that in a minute' their concentration levels were fantastic right throughout and their sheer will to win was there for everyone to see.

The character of the team 'as a whole' has to be admired.
Everyone has said how much of a disappointing season Chelsea have had and yet, they are in the running to win two big cups.
The FA cup, who they face Liverpool in the final and the Champions league, opponents still to be decided. Real Madrid or Byarn Munich. (what a tale it would be if it was against their former boss...'the special one'.

Barcelona dominated possession as expected but they didn't have enough to totally finish the London club off.
At one stage it looked all over for the blues, with JT getting sent off, and Barcelona leading 2-0 on the night. It just had that feeling of a big night for Barca.
But all of a sudden a player who go's by the name of Remires, latched on to a Meireles pass to send an elegant chip into the back of the net, leaving the Barca faithful hopeless. Top class finish.
Then the game was set to be a thriller, with both teams capable of winning.

Going into the John Terry red card. WHAT A STUPID THING TO DO!
In the 'off the ball' incident, John Terry was seen by the referee's assistant, when he stupidly put a knee into Alexis Sanchez’s back.

It was reckless and idiotic in our opinion, just hope he doesn't repeat this sort of stupid behaviour in the Euros. Should he get selected.

And after all the possession Barcelona had and basically playing the whole game around Chelsea's box, a £50 million man came on to deliver the last big right hook that sent Messi and co smashing to the floor. The former Anfield man Fernando Torres.

Torres ran solo in the Barca half to run around the helpless Valdes and side foot it in to the empty net.

The final whistle blew and Chelsea celebrated as if they just won the cup. And why shouldn't they, it was an amazing performance from all the players in the Chelsea team and a big congratulations to Di Matteo.

We would like to add that Pique is fine, he went to hospital after a coming together for a check up. Report said he had concussion.

Below are the stats, but we all know that not all the stats matter. Just the top 1.

                                            BARCELONA  -  CHELSEA

Score                                             2                         2            (Chelsea win 3-2 on aggregate)

Possession                                    72%                    28%

Shots on target                              5                          3

Shots off target                             12                        4

Corners                                         10                        1

Yellow cards                                  2                         6

Red cards                                       0                         1

Attendance                                             95,845           

Team Line ups;
 
Barcelona

• 01 Valdes                                                                               
• 03 Pique (Alves - 26' )
• 05 Puyol
• 04 Fabregas (Keita - 74' )
• 06 Xavi
• 08 Iniesta Booked
• 10 Messi Booked
• 14 Mascherano
• 16 Busquets
• 39 Cuenca (Cristian Tello - 67' )
• 09 Sanchez

Substitutes

• 13 Pinto
• 02 Alves
• 21 Adriano Correia
• 11 Thiago
• 15 Keita
• 17 Pedrito
• 37 Cristian Tello 

Chelsea

• 01 Cech Booked
• 02 Ivanovic Booked
• 03 Cole
• 24 Cahill (Bosingwa - 12' )
• 26 Terry Dismissed
• 07 Ramires Booked
• 08 Lampard Booked
• 12 Mikel Booked
• 16 Meireles Booked
• 10 Mata (Kalou - 58' )
• 11 Drogba (Torres - 80' )

Substitutes

• 22 Turnbull
• 17 Bosingwa
• 05 Essien
• 15 Malouda
• 09 Torres
• 21 Kalou
• 23 Sturridge

 Ref: Cakir

WE HOPE THE FINAL DOESN'T DISAPPOINT!

Kick off looming team line ups

Just a quicky.

Barcelona’s team;

Valdes, Pique, Mascherano, Puyol, Xavi, Busquets, Iniesta, Sanchez, Fabregas, Messi, Cuenca

Chelsea’s team;

Cech, Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Cole, Lampard, Mikel, Ramires, Mata, Meireles, Drogba

footballcrazybaby: Barcelona VS Chelsea

footballcrazybaby: Barcelona VS Chelsea:  The gloves are on for this big champions league clash between these two tonight. First blood has been drawn as Chelsea have one goal to...

Barcelona VS Chelsea

 The gloves are on for this big champions league clash between these two tonight.

First blood has been drawn as Chelsea have one goal to the good, but is it enough?

We all know so much about these two heavyweights but who will be the Muhammad Ali?

From the blue corner we know how much it means to the Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich to win the champions league and deep down he probably feels this year could be the year Chelsea actual win it.
Sacking their young manager during this campaign was a bold move, but we know that if a manager doesn't hit the ground running, he's out.

Jose Mourinho in our eye's was the man for the job. Had he still been at the helm we feel Chelsea could of won the champions league by now.

But, their current man in charge Di Matteo has rein formed the Chelsea lads. Who once again look a shade close to how they used to be. A top club.

Will Chelsea go out to try and grab a goal, or will they sit back on their narrow lead and try to shut Barca out for the full 90 minutes?
Sitting back against the like of Barcelona is dangerous, very dangerous. But being left exposed at the back is also dangerous, so what can Chelsea do to over come the Spanish giants?

We would set out to hit Barcelona on the break. Not defend deep but make sure there is enough players at the back to help cancel them out. Keep possession is a must (if they don't have the ball, they can't hurt you). And make sure if our players had a set piece make them count!

Barcelona will come out and play their usual perfect way. Dominate possession, play between the lines, try to pull players out of possession and patient build up.

You know Barcelona will get chances, no matter who they are playing. FACT! But the key for them tonight is obviously converting their chances into goals.
At Chelsea they could of won it by 4 or 5, and I think tonight will be the same in terms of amount of chances.

Chelsea need a lot of luck tonight to reach the final, but we feel it's not going to be enough.

Our Prediction;  Barcelon to win by knock out.............. Barcelona 3 - 0 Chelsea         3-1 aggregate.

footballcrazybaby: Double awards for RVP, but why?

footballcrazybaby: Double awards for RVP, but why?:  The Gunners captain Robin Van Persie has won two awards recently as you are all aware of. He won the FWA (football writers association) a...

Double awards for RVP, but why?

 The Gunners captain Robin Van Persie has won two awards recently as you are all aware of. He won the FWA (football writers association) award and the PFA (professional footballers' association) player of the year award. Following in the footsteps of a previous Gunner's captain and fellow country man Dennis Bergkamp. Who also won the double award in 1998.

We can't go any further until we mention Thierry Henry also former Arsenal captain, won the double award in 2003 and 2004. Back to back. (he's a premier league legend)

But why did RVP win these awards and why this season?

It is no secret that RVP has been in the form of his life, scoring 27 goals so far this season.
Everyone all over the globe knows how much of a talent he his.

So why this season and not the past seasons?

One word; Injury's.

Van Pesie has had good season before now, where he had a good run of form but he seemed to be injury prone.

It was always said that on his day RVP can score against any team, but he can't seem to give a full season.

It has been a real big shame for the Arsenal faithful because if the dutch man had been firing on all cylinders all season, every season, we are sure that Arsenal would have more trophies to their collection.

Well this season has taken RVP to another level. After playing every game for Holland in the world cup at South Africa, he went back to Arsenal to be named club captain.

It has been a big high for the firing dutch man and he's thriving from the responsibility.

Here's the low down on Robin Van Persie;

Pros's

RVP has pace, a sweet left foot and technical awareness. He will play anywhere up top whether it be as striker, right forward of left forward and still be a real threat no matter what position. He can create goals and of course score goals!

Con's

He suffers from injury's too often, he's not the best in the air and his temperament can sometimes get the best of him.

Overall

Robin Van Persie is a great striker. If he can steer away from injury's, he will break records.
Is he the best striker in the world? Not quite. On his day he can look as if he's a world beater, but unfortunately, he will not give you two seasons like this current one back to back.

Robin Van Persie rating; 8 out of 10.

Below is a link to a good report from ESPN;

 http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story/_/id/1050629/robin-van-persie-doubted-his-ability-to-lead-attack?cc=5739

Euros 2012 including our squad.

 
So England are off to Ukraine / Poland to compete against the likes of Spain, France, Germany, Netherlands etc. Oh dear.

Lets have a look at some of the teams who will be at the Euros this year.

SPAIN; Is there more to say other than, David Villa, Iniesta, Xavi? The list goes on. Spain play with such an understanding and awareness its frightening. They play like a club. Maybe because most of the players play week in, week out with each other. A team called Barcelona. You may of heard of them! lol Worthy world cup winners and probably worthy Euro champions.


FRANCE; OK France are a team who play football like they do Rugby. Inconsistently. If the French team turn up to a game and play to their full potential, they can beat anyone. However when France don't play anywhere near their potential, anyone can beat them.

NETHERLANDS; Once again the question will be asked 'can the dutch produce what we know they can produce, when it matters most'?
Its the same question every tournament. They are one of the most talented side's in the Euros. in the world even and that goes with out saying. Always a neutrals favourite. BUT and its a big BUT! Will they produce the quality and commitment when it matters most? For the game of football, we all hope so!

GERMANY; Whoever rights off the Germans is a fool. Plain and simple. Even when Germany seem to not offer much in terms of a team capable of going far in tournament, they still produce a certain standard. Plenty wrote them off during the lead up to the world cup in South Africa, yet they still managed to reach the semi finals only to be knocked out by the world cup winners Spain. And the rememberable thrashing they gave England. Never write the Germans off.

ENGLAND; With Stuart Pierce at the helm for the Euros we feel England will not win the tournament. No disrespect to Pierce but he lacks experience as a senior manager and we feel he will play too many youngsters, too often. The youngsters are talented and could be world beaters, but at present, no.
In our eyes Pierce needs to play experienced players. The so called 'old generation' if England have any chance of competing against the likes of the above teams mentioned.
We feel Steven Gerrard should be made captain and played in his preferred role 'just behind the striker/strikers'.

Below you can view our England squad for the Euros 2012. Our England squad 2012