Fantasy Football - The Best Point For Pound Players... And The Worst In the world of fantasy football, we'd all love to have the likes of Ronaldo, Fabregas, Drogba and Torres in our teams. But there's always that nasty transfer budget lurking around the next corner, waiting to pounce and tell you that you only have enough money left for Titus Bramble.
Because of this, we've compiled a list of the players who have the most points per million pounds, and so FF fans everywhere can become more economical, and realise that it's not really worth splashing out £15m on a certain Wayne Rooney (he made it to 196th on our list).
Points Per Million Pounds (PMP) were calcuted from the comprehensive Fantasy Football site, Squad God. It takes into account detailed stats such as shots on target and interceptions, as well as goals and clean sheets.
Economical Players
Player PMP 1. Martin Laursen 64.7 2. Sulley Muntari 50 3. Gael Clichy 47.4 4. Robert Green 39.5 5. Roque Santa Cruz 39.3 6. Vedran Corluka 38.2 7. Christopher Samba 37.3 8. Paul Scharner 37.2 9. Titus Bramble 37 (No, this is not a mistake) 10. George McCartney 36.4
And just for the hell of it, here are 10 players you should really stay clear of:
False Economy Players
1. Marc Edworthy -0.8 2. Fitz Hall -0.4 3. Radek Cerny -0.4 4. Colin Doyle -0.4 5. Moritz Volz -0.2 6. Shola Ameobi 0 7. Gary Neville 0 (will he ever be not injured?) 8. Julian Faubert 0 9. Valeri Bojinov 0 10. Jimmy Bullard 0 Wed, 16 Jan 2008 14:20:00 +0000
Pretty convincing, but here's few reasons why Portugal's pretty boy isn't a patch on some of the other talent around Europe.
1. Overhyped Ronaldo turns out a decent performance against Newcastle, and the entire press begins waxing lyrical about how he could be the best player of all time. 4 words: Calm the hell down.
Sure, he scored a hat-trick and performed a few tricks, but it was by far a great hat-trick. His second was class, but the first bobbled over the keeper and the third took a deflection. If Rooney had a bit more luck he would have easily had a hat-trick also.
And in case anyone else hadn't noticed, playing well against Newcastle ain't that hard these days.
2. Diving How can he be a role model when everytime he gets tapped in or just outside the box he falls quicker than Northern Rock's shares? What really takes the biscuit is the way Ronaldo gives the ref the big puppy dog eyes as if about to burst into tears.
A good player has the tricks and skills to create and score goals. A great player is a true role model to others in the game in every field. Does Ronaldo have honesty and integrity? It's most certainly up for debate.
3. Big Games There's no denying the outstanding record of scoring 16 goals in 18 Premier League outings, but where is he when the big clubs come calling? Last season, he was practically invisible against AC Milan in the Champions League. He failed to perform at his usual high standards for Portugal against France in the World Cup, and against Greece in Euro 2004. And this season, he barely made a difference in the game against Liverpool on the so called 'Grand Slam Sunday'.
Good against lesser teams, but a great player would perform when the heat is on.
4. Humility Racing against Bugatti Supercars? Diamond Earrings? ORANGE boots? You tell me that the man does not openly believe that he is the best thing ever to grace this Earth.
OK, maybe I'm exaggerating slightly, but it would still be nice for him to show some humility once in a while. Some of United colleagues are excellent examples of men with talent but plenty of modesty also (Giggs and Scholes come to mind).
5. Other Competition So what players possess the skill of Ronaldo but the qualities above also? Well, Kaka', Ronaldinho, Rooney, Fabregas... just to name a few.
While these players may not have the tricks and skills to match the man with the world's fastest feet, they possess the qualities such as maturity, humility, integrity and the ability to carry a team that the Great Cristiano Ronaldo does not yet have.
And let's not forget the lesson in football Kaka' gave CR7 and his Man Utd teammates last year in the San Siro:
Manchester City – Sven-Goran Eriksson Position: 7th, but equal on points with 4th placed Liverpool, and have been 3rd for much of the season. Use of Resources: Sven has spent a lot on unknown foreigners, but it has paid off for him, and in style, with Elano and Petrov being particularly effective. Strengths: As with most Eriksson teams, Man City are solid down the middle, and have a committed defence. The Swede also has a very keen eye for a good overseas player. Suggested Improvements: Sometimes, City have lacked the ability to deliver a killer blow to turn a draw into a victory. Predicted Position: They should crawl out of their current slump in form and finish a strong 5th. Overall Grade:A
Manchester United – Alex Ferguson Position: 1st. Use of Resources: Top of the table and playing some truly liquid football, you have to say that Fergie has got the most out of his squad. Strengths: Building truly great teams time and time again. Clubs like Newcastle should follow Man Utd’s example of sticking with a manager. Suggested Improvements: Very hard to pick out any, one criticism could be that would he have done so well without the millions available to him? Predicted Position: 1st. Barring any slip-ups or Arsenal continuing strongly. Overall Grade:A Middlesbrough – Gareth Southgate Position: 14th, but only 1 point from safety such is the tightness of the bottom half. Use of Resources: He doesn’t have one of the strongest sides in the Premier League, so 14th is about where they should be. Strengths: Getting results against teams near or below them. Suggested Improvements: Boro need some consistency. One day they’ll be defeating Arsenal, the next they’ll be losing 3-0 to Brimingham. Predicted Position: I can’t see Boro’ improving by the end of the season. 15th. Overall Grade:C
Newcastle United – Sam Allardyce Position: 11th, and 6 points behind West Ham in 10th. Use of Resources: Sam used the money available to him, but was unable to get the best out of quality players such as Owen, Viduka, Smith and Barton. Strengths: Allardyce was known for building strong teams with a good work ethic, but unfortunately this was not on display at Newcastle. Suggested Improvements: Try to get your team to play with some cohesion and passion, and maybe you won’t get sacked after 8 months. Predicted Position: 12th. I see Spurs leapfrogging them in the new year. Overall Grade:F
Portsmouth – Harry Redknapp Position: 9th, but with better home form should be higher. Use of Resources: Hazza has assembled a strong, physical side that’s hard to break down. They should be scoring more though. Strengths: Defence and outmuscling more technical sides. Suggested Improvements: Getting a goal at home once in a while wouldn’t hurt. Predicted Position: They’ll snap out of poor home form to overtake Blackburn by the end of the season. 8th. Overall Grade:B+
Reading – Steve Coppell Position: 13th. Relatively successful considering other teams who have suffered bad 2nd season syndrome. Use of Resources: Has a weak squad compared to the rest of the EPL, so Coppell has done well to keep them this high. Strengths: Steve is an excellent tactician, and is able to form a tightly-knit team. Suggested Improvements: A lack of ambition, perhaps? He told his players last year not to go for a European place to avoid distraction this term. Predicted Position: There’s no sign of Reading moving too much up or down, so they should stay around 13th. Overall Grade:B-
Sunderland – Roy Keane Position: 18th. After a solid start, life in the Premier League appears to have caught up with Keano’s side. Use of Resources: With what is essentially a championship squad, anything above the relegation zone would be an achievement. Strengths: Keane appears to have instilled a never-say-die attitude into Sunderland, with them scoring a few goals deep into injury time. Suggested Improvements: Then again, the reason they have to score last minute goals is due to them conceding silly ones in the 1st place. There’s no point in having an £8 million ‘keeper if you can’t defend in the first place. Predicted Position: Unless they start cutting out the mistakes, I can’t see them staying up. 19th. Overall Grade:C
Tottenham Hotspur – Juande Ramos Position: 12th. After a horror start to the season, Ramos has begun to turn the London club around. Use of Resources: Given that people were talking about Spurs possibly beating Arsenal into 4th this season, 12th is slightly off expectations. But Ramos must be given time. Strengths: Have a frightful attack consisting of the free-scoring Berbatov and Keane. Suggested Improvements: However, they also have a frightfully awful defence. You don’t get into Europe by shipping 19 goals in 12 games. Predicted Position: 10th. A squad of their quality should break into the top half of the table. Spurs also tend to be solid come the final few games. Overall Grade:B-
West Ham United – Alan Curbishley Position: 10th. Good away form but poor results at home equals mid-table. Use of Resources: West Ham’s side is weaker than the teams above them, but stronger than the ones below, so 10th is about right. Strengths: Playing away from home, and managing to resurrect his side from the dire position they were in last season. Suggested Improvements: Just, get some points at home Curbs. Predicted Position: I see them slipping down a place with Tottenham taking their place. 11th. Overall Grade:B
Wigan Athletic – Steve Bruce Position: 17th. Precariously above the relegation zone, but Steve Bruce will be happy if they’re there come May. Use of Resources: Bruce has actually done a decent job with the squad he’s got. Wins over Spurs, Newcastle and Sunderland, as well as draws with Man City and Liverpool have propelled the Latics into safety... for now. Strengths: Bruce’s team has a habit of grinding out results, an essential trait when in a relegation dogfight. Suggested Improvements: With the team that Bruce has, it would be unfair to criticise given their recent run of relatively good results. Predicted Position: 17th. If they keep up this good run, they’ll stay up. Overall Grade:B+
Liquid Football’s Predicted Final League Table
1. Manchester United A 2. Arsenal A+ 3. Chelsea B+ 4. Liverpool C- 5. Manchester City A 6. Aston Villa B+ 7. Everton A- 8. Portsmouth B+ 9. Blackburn Rovers B- 10. Tottenham Hotspur B- 11. West Ham United B 12. Newcastle United F 13. Reading B- 14. Birmingham City B- 15. Middlesbrough C 16. Fulham ? 17. Wigan Athletic B+ 18. Bolton Wanderers C+ 19. Sunderland C 20. Derby County C
What do you think of the grades I’ve given out? Too harsh, too lenient, or spot on? And what about the final league table? Leave your comments below. Mon, 14 Jan 2008 22:25:00 +0000
Scorers: Drogba 3' (CO) Villa 6' (CO) Sergio Ramos OG 29' (101) Ronaldinho 45'+ (101) Riquelme 75'
Man of the Match: Drogba (CO)
A thrilling top of the table clash ended with a 3-2 win to 101 Great Goals over Caught Offside, and included a sensational comeback. CO started the match in a lightning quick fashion, going 2 goals up after 6 minutes. First, a brilliant run from Man of the Match Drogba saw him breeze past 4 players before tucking it away past the stranded Buffon. And then the 2nd came when David Villa's low shot somehow squirmed under the Italian 'keeper before agonisingly rolling over the line. However, 101 GG weren't about to lie down, and got one back after Sergio Ramos headed into his own net while under pressure from Riquelme. They then equalised on the stroke of halftime when Ronaldinho rose highest to nod home Robert Carlos's corner. And the fightback was complete when Gerrard's inswinging corner was bulleted past Buffon by Riquelme, sending the home fans wild.
Who Ate All The Pies 2-2 Liquid Football
Scorers: Villa 2' (WAATP) Ribery 9' 33' (LFC) Ronaldo 64' (WAATP)
Man of the Match: Ribery (LFC)
It ended 2-2 in this thoroughly exciting match, with the match swinging back and forth between the 2 sides. WAATP took the lead in only the 2nd minute, when David Villa raced onto Ronaldo's pass, before nutmegging Buffon. Liquid FC responded minutes later though, when the outstanding Ribery nipped in front of his marker to slot home Henry's cross box pass. The Frenchman then grabbed his second with one of the goals of the tournament thus far. He picked up the ball from a throw in and ran to the edge of the box, before sending 2 defenders the wrong way and placing the ball perfectly past the outstretched Reina. However, WAATP showed excellent character after the break to level the scores with a fantastic free-flowing counter attack. A series of one-touch passes found Ronaldo free in the box, who slotted home coolly past Buffon. Henry thought he had won the game for Liquid FC at the death, but his goal was ruled out for offside.
Arseblog 1-3 Touchline Sniffers
Scorers: Torres 15' (TS) Juninho 26' (TS) Villa 65' (AB) Agger OG 80' (TS)
Man of the Match: Juninho (TS)
In the battle of the 3-4-3 formations, the Touchline Sniffers came out on top with a 3-1 triumph over Arseblog. TS got off to a perfect start, when Torres headed in Juninho's corner after 15 minutes. And then just 10 minutes later, the brazilian playmaker grabbed one of his own from a fine free kick. After half-time, Arseblog came out fighting, and got their reward after 65 minutes. David Villa dragged the entire defence out to the left, leaving Totti free in the middle to tap in the Spaniard's pass. But then their hard work was undone when Walter Samuel's goal line clearance horrifically and comically smacked off team mate Agger and into his own net.
Eyefootball Eyecatchers grounded out a 2-1 victory over Fantasy Football Guru in a scrappy affair which FFG will feel they should have at least drawn. They were left with an uphill task after going 2 goals down inside 20 minutes. Makalele's parried shot found Van Persie free to poke the ball into an empty net for Eyecatchers' first, before Martins headed home the second from a corner. FFG were being reduced to taking shots from distance, Steven Gerrard going closest, before Fabregas pulled one back at the death from the Englishman's corner.
Footballocks's Eleven 0-0 SquadGod Academical
Man of the Match: Kaka (SGA)
A tight yet entertaining 0-0 draw was played out between these 2 teams. The best chance of the game fell to Ibrahimovic of Footballocks's Eleven, when his first shot cannoned off the post and his second rebounded off the floored Buffon. Both sides were deserving of a point, with SquadGod Academical enjoying more possession, but having less shots on goal. Mon, 14 Jan 2008 00:06:00 +0000
We’ve seen the maturing of young stars such as Fabregas and the return of old ones like Shevchenko. Man Utd stuttered and then blossomed to lead the way, with the impressive Arsenal just behind, while others like Newcastle and Tottenham have greatly underachieved. Some great games have been played (4-4 draw between Chelsea and Villa springs to mind), and some dour ones too (Fulham vs Newcastle anybody?).
But what about the managers? Have they used their resources available to their best ability? How well have they spent in the transfer market? And do they have the steel and nerve essential to survive and thrive in one of the world’s hardest leagues? Here is Part I of Liquid Football’s mid-term Premier League report card:
Arsenal – Arsene Wenger Position: 1st place pretty much since the beginning of the season. No room for improvement here. Use of Resources: Wenger has some fantastic talent at his disposal, and given how they all work together to create wonderful synergy and free-flowing football is testament to the Frenchman’s ability to get the most out of his players. Strengths: Getting the most out of his team, sticking by his players and giving youngsters a chance. French youngsters but still. Suggested Improvements: Arsene needs to cut out the hypocrisy and 2-facedness . Saying that the English national team needs an English coach before praising Capello’s appointment seems slightly odd. Predicted Position: 2nd at the very least. Overall Grade:A+
Aston Villa – Martin O’Neill Position: A respectable 7th, Villa’s form will see them challenging for a UEFA cup place. Use of Resources: O’Neill has a solid squad, and manages to utilise them into a tight unit that is hard to break down. Seems to get the best out of his ex-Celtic underlings. Strengths: Signing relatively quality players such as Carson, Bouma and Carew on the cheap, as well as slowly building a team over time rather than rushing into the market with chequebooks blazing. Deadpan humour during interviews makes him a favourite with the press too. Suggested Improvements: On the other hand however, O’Neill perhaps needs to be more ambitious in the transfer market more often. If Lerner is willing to pay, this may be the chance to push Villa forward to more successful territory. Then again, look what happened to Leeds... Predicted Position: With Everton decimated for the African Cup of Nations, they should leapfrog them for a UEFA cup spot and 6th. Overall Grade:B+ Birmingham City – Alex McLeish Position: 16th, although under the form of McLeish they could have been about 14th. Good considering staying up is the main priority. Use of Resources: McLeish has adapted quickly to his new surroundings and has been able to get the Blues playing some solid stuff. However, the recent defeat to Huddersfield in the FA Cup leaves a nasty stain on this report. Strengths: From his time with Scotland, McLeish’s ability to take a group of players, gel them and have them playing attractive football is evident. Whether or not he can replicate that with Birmingham remains to be seen. Suggested Improvements: McLeish left hastily his national team when the opportunity for more money arose, so can his loyalty be questioned? Predicted Position: Lower mid-table, I’ll take a stab at 14th. Overall Grade:B-
Blackburn Rovers – Mark Hughes Position: A good start to the season saw them rise high, but form has dipped and so has their position to 9th. But still in touching distance of UEFA places. Use of Resources: The front pairing of Santa Cruz and McCarthy has worked a dream from Hughes, and Sparky has managed to use his team’s physical side to good effect. Strengths: Tells it how it is, you get the feeling that his no-nonsense attitude transfers well to his players. Has managed to turn Bentley into one of the brightest young talents in the Premier League. Suggested Improvements: He really needs to learn the offside rule. Now. It’s not hard Sparky. If he touches the ball he’s active. If he doesn’t he’s not. Stop moaning. Predicted Position: Pompey’s home form should return, so I don’t see them reaching any higher than their current position of 9th. Overall Grade:B-
Bolton Wanderers – Gary Megson Position: 14th Use of Resources: Megson has done brilliantly to take a down-hearted, underperforming and frankly rubbish team out of the relegation zone. The question is, will Bolton be able to stay out of danger? Strengths: Motivating and organising. Wanderers appear to have a bit of get up and go about them, and even managed to hold Bayern Munich to a 2-2 draw in Germany. No mean feat. Suggested Improvements: When they lose Anelka (sorry, if), they’ll have a serious hole up front. Megson needs to get a quality striker in, and fast. Predicted Position: Bolton have stuttered recently after the honeymoon period, and I can only see them going down come the business end of the season. 18th. Overall Grade:C+
Chelsea – Avram Grant Position: 3rd. Has admirably steadied the Stamford Ship after Jose’s departure, and has set his sights on the top 2. Use of Resources: With the talent available to him at Chelsea, Grant has done well, but should really be aiming to be top. Room for improvement. Strengths: Contrary to his dour expression and exterior, ‘The Normal One’ has rejuvenated Chelsea with some free-flowing attacking football as well as being solid at the back. Seems to also excel at silencing critics who gave him no hope before he was given a chance (I’ll hold my hands up here). Suggested Improvements: Needs to tell his players to calm down when decisions go against them. The behaviour of some of his squad has at times been unacceptable and unprofessional. Results against other members of the big 4 have let him down also. Predicted Position: They’ll be 3rd at least, but at the most as well barring a massive slip up from Arsenal or Man Utd. Overall Grade:B+
Derby County – Paul Jewell Position: 20th. Rock bottom and not getting out fast enough. Hardly Jewell’s fault considering he’s only been in the job for a month. Use of Resources: To be honest, the quality of Derby’s players is not enough to survive in the Premier League. Therefore, Jewell can be forgiven for not improving results of late. Strengths: Very good when it comes to relegation scraps, saving Wigan and Bradford from the drop previously. He has made some positive signings already this month (Robert, Savage and perhaps Carroll) but time will tell if this is enough to save them. Suggested Improvements: Derby need to stop conceding last minute goals, get a central defensive partnership who can defend, and some passing skills wouldn’t go amiss. Predicted Position: Sorry Paul, I can’t see your team reaching 10 points by the end of the season, let alone making up 10 points. Overall Grade: C
Everton – David Moyes Position: 6th. Just goes to show what can happen when you stick with a manager. Use of Resources: Defensively, Moyes has done very well to create a solid unit comprising of players not many other teams would bother to sign. The same goes for his midfield, but up front only Yakubu really takes the eye. Strengths: Building a team over time, and making it clear what he wants from each man. Has an eye for a good youngster/signing. Suggested Improvements: Find players that are good but not African! Everton won’t possess the same quality without Yobo, Yakubu and Pienaar. Predicted Position: I see them slipping down a place to Aston Villa. 7th. Overall Grade:A-
Fulham – Roy Hodgson Position: 19th, although more Sanchez’s fault really. Use of Resources: Hard to tell, given that he’s only been in charge for 2 games. Strengths: Again hard to tell. From past experience it’s clear that he can make a solid unit from pretty much any side. Suggested Improvements: Again from looking at his previous clubs, attacking and scoring goals doesn’t appear to be Hodgson’s forte. Predicted Position: 16th. Hodgson’s vast experience with all sorts of footballing situations should guide Fulham to safety. Overall Grade: ?
Liverpool – Rafael Benitez Position: 4th Use of Resources: Not too sharp. With the amount that Rafa spent over the summer and the huge squad available to him, Liverpool should be higher than 5th. Full stop. Strengths: Playing well in Europe suits Benitez’s continental style of play, and the Spanish signings that he’s made seem to play well under him. Suggested Improvements: A bit more bite and consistency needed, and less spats with the owners would probably help inter-club relationships... and the odds that he’ll be still be manager come the end of the season. Predicted Position: Liverpool will overtake Man City, but may not find the consistency required to get past Chelsea. 4th. Overall Grade:C-
What do you think of the grades I’ve given out? Too harsh, too lenient, or spot on? Leave your comments below. Wed, 09 Jan 2008 17:15:00 +0000
A-Goal Celebreation Explained... Finally BBC lifts the lid on the A Goal celebration (about bloody time too). Apparently it's to do with raising awareness of an initiative, called 'A-Star', to create job opportunities for kids and youngsters through sport and activities.
And nothing to do with standing for awful (in Bramble's case). Tue, 08 Jan 2008 17:07:00 +0000
An imperious midfield display by Steven Gerrard helped 101 Great Goals to a convincing 3-0 victory over the Touchline Sniffers in the opening match of the league season. He got the ball rolling in the 21st minute with a superb 25 yard free kick that left Buffon flailing. Soon, the Touchline Sniffers found themselves 2-0 down 8 minutes later, when Ronaldinho was felled by Buffon. It was a controversial decision, as the Italian appeared to get some of the ball. However the Brazilian playmaker made the most of his good fortune, sending Buffon the wrong way from the spot. The Touchline Sniffers struggled to get back into the game, and all hopes of a comeback were ended in the 79th minute. Riquelme, attempting to dribble out of his own box, lost out to a tackle from Rooney, and from the loose ball Ronaldinho smashed home his side's 3rd.
2 spectacular Ronaldinho free kicks and 2 Drogba headers sealed a 4-1 victory for Caught Offside over Who Ate All The Pies. It was the team in Green and Black who took the lead, when Ronaldo burst into the box, found David Villa, who then slotted home coolly. WAATP continued to dominate the rest of the 1st half, and looked on course to take victory. However at the start of the 2nd half, 3 goals in 10 minutes secured a remarkable comeback, and Drogba put the icing on the cake with a late headed goal.
Footballocks's Eleven 1-0 Eyefootball Eyecatchers
Scorers: Torres 32' (FB)
Man of the Match: Torres 32' (FB)
Footballocks's Eleven ran out 1-0 winners over Eyefootball Eyecatchers which in truth was a game of a excitement that belied its scoreline. Fernando Torres was in particularly menacing form, and his effort and skill were rewarded after 32 minutes. A Ronaldo corner found the Spaniard unmarked in the middle for him to power a header past Buffon. The Eyecatchers never really got going while Footballocks tried to press home their advantage, amassing 17 shots in total. But in the end, just the 1 goal was enough to secure victory.
SquadGod Academical 1-0 Fantasy Football Guru
Scorers: Ronaldo 90'+ (SGA)
Man of the Match: Ronaldo (SGA)
A dramatic injury-time winner from Cristiano Ronaldo gave SquadGod Academical a 1-0 victory over Fantasy Football Guru. The Portuguese winger picked up the ball on the half-way line, powered past and outdragged Cesc Fabregas, before drilling a shot past Canizares. The game itself was a tight affair with few real chances, with Trezeguet of FFG often finding himself isolated up front. Robinho was brought on as a substitute to try and find a winner, but he couldn't before Ronaldo's late goal.
Liquid FC 3-0 Arseblog
Scorers: Kaka' 60' (LFC) Ribery 61' (LFC) Henry 90'+ (LFC)
Man of the Match: Grosso (LFC)
After dominating the 1st half, Arseblog went down 3-0 to Liquid FC after some poor defensive lapses cost them dear. On 60 minutes Walter Samuel attempted to take the ball past Kaka', only to end up being tackled by the Brazilian before watching the ball being stroked into the back of his own net. Then from the kick off, Sneijder lost the ball to the impressive Ribery, who ran the length of the pitch before striking it low past Buffon. Arseblog had lost all fight by this point, and Liquid FC sealed victory in injury time when Henry met Grosso's fine cross and powered his header home. Tue, 08 Jan 2008 16:18:00 +0000
The African Exodus... Who Will Suffer? The African Cup of Nations kicks off in a couple of weeks’ time, sparking a mass evacuation of some of England’s top Premier League talent. So which club will be worst affected by the ‘most poorly timed competition of the year’? We assess each leaving player’s value using our own 5 star rating system, and what the total effect will be on each Premier League club.
5 Star Rating:
5 stars – Vital to the team. Irreplaceable. 4 stars– First team player. Has an able deputy. 3 stars – Bench player. Usually brought on during a game. 2 stars – Bench player. Not used very often. 1 star– Not in the squad. Won’t be missed at all.
The Teams:
Arsenal
Emmanuel Eboue – 4 stars Kolo Toure – 5 stars Alexandre Song – 2 stars -------------------------------- Total – 11 stars
Arsenal have solid back up in the form of Rosicky for Eboue, who looked off form against Burnley, however Toure will be sorely missed. Senderos is a solid back up, but does not have the same defensive qualities as the Ivorian. As a whole they should still be able to function as a free-flowing attacking machine. Birmingham City
Richard Kingson – 2 stars Radhi Jaidi – 3 stars Mehdi Nafti – 4 stars -------------------------------- Total – 9 stars
Birmingham will only seriously miss Nafti out their 3 Africans, having put in some good performances for City this season. However, they should have enough midfield cover to cope with his loss.
Blackburn Rovers
Aaron Mokoena – 3 stars --------------------------------- Total – 3 stars
Only one gone for Blackburn, they should be able to cope fine with their current 1st team.
Bolton Wanderers
Abdoulaye Meite – 4 stars El Hadji Diouf – 5 stars ---------------------------------- Total – 9 stars
Only 2 players gone for Bolton, but 2 massive players at that. Meite has been a rock in front of the back 4 for the Wanderer’s so their already fragile defence will be even more exposed. And with the absence of arguable their most creative player in Diouf, they could be in real trouble upfront as well.
Chelsea
Michael Essien – 5 stars Didier Drogba – 5 stars Salomon Kalou – 4 stars Jon Obi Mikel – 4 stars ------------------------------- Total – 18 stars
Chelsea could be in trouble. The best striker in the Premier league, his back up, arguably the best defensive midfielder in England and a talented young midfielder have all jetted off, leaving huge gaps of world class quality throughout the team. It appears as if the African Cup of Nations has come at just the wrong time for Chelsea’s title push.
Everton
Joseph Yobo – 4 stars Yakubu Aiyegbeni – 5 stars Victor Anichebe – 3 stars Steven Pienaar – 4 stars ----------------------------------- Total – 16 stars
Everton will be in a similar boat to Chelsea, missing 3 1st team players, notably their best defender in Yobo, their best striker in Yakubu, and one of their more dynamic midfielders in Pienaar. Expect Everton to suffer a dip in their otherwise excellent form.
Fulham
Diomansy Kamara – 3 stars ----------------------------------- Total – 3 stars
Fulham should be fine with David Healy and Hammeur Bouazza up front.
Liverpool
Momo Sissoko – 2 stars ------------------------------- Total – 2 stars
If anything, the Malian’s departure will allow space on the bench for someone with greater quality.
Middlesbrough
Mohamed Shawky – 1 star Mido – 1 star ---------------------------------- Total – 2 stars
What Big Sam would not have wanted. His captain and top striker to be absent for 3 weeks while the club plummets down the Premier League table faster than it takes for St. James’ Park to exit. Can Owen step up to the plate in his striking partner’s absence?
Portsmouth
Sulley Muntari – 4 stars Nwankwo Kanu – 3 stars John Utaka – 4 stars Papa Bouba Diop – 4 stars Djimi Traore – 1 star ---------------------------------- Total – 16 stars
Take away 3 of your most powerful and forceful midfielders, and you’ll be left with not much physical element to your side. Pompey thrive on this, and so could for once get out muscled in the middle of the park, perhaps costing them control of games.
Reading
Emerse Fae – 2 stars Andre Bikey – 2 stars Ibrahima Sonko – 4 stars -------------------------------- Total – 8 stars
In truth, the Royals will only miss Sonko, and he’ll be adequately replaced during his tenure away. Don’t expect much change at Reading.
Sunderland
Dickson Etuhu – 4 stars ------------------------------ Total – 4 stars
Roy Keane could have done with the Nigerian’s solid performances in the middle for Sunderland during this crucial winter period, but with the Irishman looking to strengthen across his whole team this January, he will hope to find an ideal replacement.
Zokora faded out of the picture for a few games under new boss Ramos, but was drafted in for the last 2 and performed admirably. However the marauding Tom Huddlestone should provide ample foil. As for Ghaly, he gets negative stars, as the team would probably train better anyway without his petulant attitude.
West Ham United
John Pantsil – 2 stars Henri Camara – 2 stars ----------------------------- Total – 4 stars
Neither player has made any sort of impact at Upton park this season, so don’t expect Alan ‘Curbs’ Curbishley to be seeing them off at Heathrow airport with a bunch of flowers and a ‘Come Home Soon’ card.
The End Result?
Arsenal’s slight weakness at the back could see Manchester Utd leapfrog them. Chelsea should be caught by Liverpool due to the loss of Drogba and Essien, while Everton may slip down the table with Villa and Blackburn leapfrogging them before the end of the tournament arrives.
Pompey’s lack of goals at home won’t be helped by a decimated midfield, and Bolton could sneak into the relegation zone without 2 of their key players. As for Sam Allardyce and Newcastle, expect the odds to be slashed on him being handed his P45 come February.
What do you think will happen to the teams suffering from their African-born players? Will they drop or stand firm? And do you agree or disagree with the ratings given above? Feel free to leave your comments below. Mon, 07 Jan 2008 17:07:00 +0000
As you can see by your address bar at the top of the screen, Liquid Football has had a slight uplift in the domain name department, and has ditched the rather unattractive .blogspot from its URL.
Why did I do this?
While blogspot is a very useful and easy to use blogging platform, I felt that removing the .blogspot will help Liquid Football in a few key areas in the near and far future:
1. Separation and Individuality Liquid Football and Blogger.com are 2 separate entities. Even though they work with each other to bring you this blog, I felt that Liquid Football lost some of its identity with .blogspot in the domain name. Removing this will hopefully strengthen the brand.
2. Respect and Authority Without a domain name that you have purchased and put effort into yourself, you could lose respect and authority amongst your blogging peers, who may think that you are not a serious enough blogger if you are not willing to buy your own domain name. Liquid-Football.com should remove this potential problem.
3. Ease of Use Most importantly of all, the change was made so that it was easier for readers to find, remember and spread the word of Liquid Football. The previous domain name had too many words and special characters, so the new address will be far easier for users to recall.
Don't worry, the feed address will remain the same, so no need to go fiddling about there if you're a subscriber. Fri, 04 Jan 2008 05:07:00 +0000
A Minute's Applause: Phil O'Donnell Motherwell captain Phil O'Donnell tragically died today after collapsing during his side's 5-3 victory over Dundee Utd today.
His initial stint at Motherwell was back in 1990 where he was twice named Scottish PFA Young Player of the Year, while also earning a cap for Scotland. O'Donnell was soon snapped up by Celtic for £1.75m after helping 'Well win the Scottish Cup in 1994.
He played 89 times and scored 16 goals during his time with the Glasgow giants, before moving to Sheffield Wednesday after 4 years.
His time down south was ravaged by injury, and he only managed a handful of appearances in 4 years with the side.
In 2003 he returned to Motherwell and was made captain. He made 77 starts during his second spell there, before the shocking news today.
Our condolences are with his family and friends. RIP Phil O'Donnell. Sat, 29 Dec 2007 19:20:00 +0000
Roy Hodgson: A Good Appointment? Roy Hodgson was today announced as the new Fulham manager, signing a long term deal with the London club after they had sacked Lawrie Sanchez.
The 60 year old Englishman's first game / baptism of fire will be against Chelsea at the start of the new year, so how will he fare in at a club who many feel will be in the bottom 3 come the end of the season?
We take a look at Hodgson's previous management jobs throughout a varied and long career, and how well he fared at each.
1976–80 Halmstads BK His first management job was in Sweden, where he took Halmstads to 2 Swedish Championships and 2 Allsvenskan league titles.
1982 Bristol City A less successful stint back in England ended after winning just 3 of 20 games in charge.
1983–85 Örebro SK Hodgson enjoyed a 50% win rate, but no trophies or league wins on his return to Sweden.
1985–90 Malmö FF It was at Malmo that Hodgson had his most successful stint as manager, as he won 5 consecutive Allsvenksan league titles, 2 Svenska Cups and led them to being Swedish Champions twice. He also, along with Bob Houghton, revolutionised Swedish football by introducing the 4-4-2 formation, pressing tactics and advanced training regimes.
1990–92 Neuchâtel Xamax His next move was to Switzerland, where he had an indifferent spell with nothing achieved of any great note...
1992–95 Switzerland ...but enough to land him the job of Swiss national coach. He guided the country to the World Cup in 94 (reaching the 2nd round before losing to Spain) and Euro 96, but joined Inter before the tournament began.
1995–97 Internazionale Hodgson took Inter Milan to the final of the UEFA Cup, but lost on penalties to German outfit FC Schalke.
1997–98 Blackburn Rovers He guided them to the UEFA cup in his first season, but was sacked early at the start of his second due to a poor run of results.
1999 Internazionale Hodgson's second stint at Inter lasted all of 2 months.
1999–2000 Grasshoppers He then returned to Switzerland with Grasshoppers, and was soon a serious candidate to take over the vacant England manager's job before being beaten by a certain Sven Goran Eriksson.
2000–01 F.C. Copenhagen A move to Denmark landed Hodgson a Superliga title in his 1st season in charge.
2001 Udinese With the Italian club he managed a 40% win ratio.
2002–04 United Arab Emirates Hodgson's 2nd second in charge of a national team was less successful, as he was only able to guide the Middle Eastern team to 5th in the Gulf Cup.
2004–06 Viking FK A return to club management saw Hodgson take over Norwegian side Viking for 1 1/2 seasons.
2006–07 Finland One of his more successful jobs in management came as head of the Finnish national team. Hodgson took Finland close to qualification for Euro 2008, despite being in a group with Portugal, Poland and Serbia.
To say that Roy Hodgson has been around the block and has some experience would be a massive understatement. You can't be in management for 30 years without knowing what your doing.
He has never enjoyed steady success, and perhaps worrying for Fulham fans due to his recent successful role with Finland, one good job is usually succeeded by an average one.
However, Hodgson is known for building teams that are hard to break down with a solid foundation and players playing at their maximum potential.
If anything is certain, Fulham could have done a lot, lot worse, and it will be certainly interesting to see how Hodgson performs in his 16th different managerial post.
How do you reckon Hodgson will fare, given his style and past record? Leave your comments below. Fri, 28 Dec 2007 18:27:00 +0000
Spaniards Playing For England?!? Peroxide addict and Arsenal goalkeeper Manuel Almunia recently sent out a 'pick me!' call to new England manager Fabio Capello, as the Spaniard will be eligible to play for England in a year's time.
For those of you unaware, if you are uncapped by your country and have played in country B for 5 years, then you are able to play for country B.
I know that foreign managers appear to have been the flavour of the month for quite some time... but foreign players? I don't think I even need to begin explaining why this is so wrong.
While it is unlikely that international teams will consist of predominantly foreigners in the near future, we take a look at a 5 players that Capello could call up to the England squad if he felt that the English boys weren't pulling their weight...
1. Gael Clichy - Arsenal The French left back has been a member of Arsene Wenger's team for 4 years now, so in just one year's time could be the ideal back-up for the injury-prone Ashley Cole.
2. Carlo Cudicini - Chelsea The 'Italian Stallion' has been second to Petr Cech for quite some time, but when called upon still delivers the confident performances that he once did a few years back. 7 years in England with no caps for Italy, could he be called upon to answer England's goalkeeping 'crisis'?
3. Mikel Arteta - Everton "Arteta for England" is a chant that can be heard from Goodison Park these days, and now wonder considering the Spaniard's blistering form this season. Having spent a total of 4 years in the UK so far, he would make a welcome addition to the England midfield.
4. Sylvian Distin - Portsmouth A marauding, physical and powerful centre-back, the Frenchman has been one of the main reasons that Pompey have been so watertight this year. With him and Sol Campbell combining well at the back, what forwards would fancy taking them on at an international level?
5. Steed Malbranque - Spurs 6 years in England and not a single French cap makes the pacy winger eligible for England duty. Steed, named after John Steed from 'The Avengers' (no, seriously), was voted the 45th greatest ever foreign player to play in Premiership by the English population, so would many people be against a call-up?
What do you reckon? Would you like to see any of these players play for England? Or should the rules be changed to stop this kind of thing? Leave your comments below. Wed, 26 Dec 2007 13:37:00 +0000
Merry Christmas Liquid Football Fans! I wishing you all a very happy holiday period, and hope that Santa was as good to you as he was to me (Setanta freeview box... ideal for a student footy fan such as me!)
Thanks to my readers, subscribers and commentors over the past few months... hopefully the next year will be filled with as much talking point and footballing hilarity as the past year. Make sure you stay tuned for the Liquid Football Blog Tournament as well which kicks off on the 6th of January.
Have a great New Year! Tue, 25 Dec 2007 23:48:00 +0000
OK, let me break this down. Brazil have, according to FIFA, the 2nd best team on Earth. However, with a population of 185 million, you'd expect such an esteemed position with a plethora of talent to call upon. San Marino, with a population of just 31,000, could be forgiven for their lowly ranking of 195.
So, in order to find out who makes the best use of the resources available to them, we took the top 100 ranked countries in the world, recorded their populations, and divided them by their respective FIFA ranking points. The results were very interesting indeed.
St Vincent and the Grenadines (a tiny set of islands in the Caribbean), top the list, with an impressive FIFA ranking of 77, despite their small numbers of 120,000.
High rankers Argentina, Italy and Brazil come in at 62nd, 70th and 94th respectively, while home nations Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales manage a decent 7th, 13th and 14th.
As for England, they will be hoping new man Capello can be resourceful enough to push them up from a disappointing 74th.
And in last place? China. Then again, with 20% of the world's population, perhaps this list is being a bit too harsh.
3 weeks is a long time in football Well I'm back! I can hardly say my holiday was fun, but it was most exceptionally mistimed given all of the drama and excitement that has gone on in the past 3 weeks. Turns out I've missed quite a lot...
Scotland lose against Italy, but then thankfully getting an easier World Cup group
Liverpool somehow make the last 16 of the Champions League
England (finally) get rid of smiling Steve after somehow managing to cock up qualification
Giggs scores his 100th league goal, it only took him 15 bloody years
Cristiano Ronaldo remains a diving git
Let's hope the footy over Christmas is exciting as it has been the past wee while, the cold weather often separates the men from the boys (and is often the time of the year where Man Utd hit some sort of incredible, invincible form). Thu, 13 Dec 2007 22:04:00 +0000
