New Season

Greetings all :)
The new Premier season is only 10 days away and it's time to get fired up after the short break.
Of course the new season actually started during the World cup so there hasn't really been a summer break, Celtic are already out of the Champions league along with several other British teams.
Hull will play their second Europa league game tonight hoping to at least make it to the regular season and get a few Sunday kick offs.

The lower leagues kick off tomorrow night with Blackburn v Cardiff, and the rest start on Saturday.
Interesting that the footie authorities have come out big against betting by footballers but allow the leagues to be sponsored by Skybet?
My local side Southend open with a glamour trip to Accrington Stanley (who are they?) at least all the new signings will get a chance to meet each other :)

On Sunday the first big game takes place with the Charity Shield game between Arsenal and Man City, although it's now known as the Ronald McDonald Community Shield (fries with that?) not sure if the money goes to charity anymore? probably not.

Predictions competition will be back in the next few days, plus an invite to join the NBTF Fantasy football leagues for anyone who's interested.
I'm currently compiling a list of the Premier league in's and out's to see who's been splashing the cash and to see if certain teams still have enough players left?
.. quick joke - The Premier league have announced they will be using vanishing spray this season after a successful trial at Southampton football club :)

Saints Shock

Right up there with Chris Hughton's sacking at Newcastle a couple of years ago, I really couldn't see this one coming.
Nigel Adkins sacking today seems very strange? the guy has just led Southampton to two straight promotions and although starting this season badly seems to have stabilised the team who look to have enough about them to survive this season.
They are unbeaten in their last 5 league games and have only lost 2 of the last 12, so it makes you wonder if their is another reason for his sacking?
It seems Argentinian Mauricio Pochettino was approached a few weeks back so it's not a knee jerk reaction to dropping easy points at Stamford bridge (sorry lads) :)

Crazy

I know the wages are good, and no matter how crap you are at the job you'll usually walk into another high paid job after you get sacked but you have to feel some sympathy for football managers.

Roberto Di Matteo becomes the latest "hero to zero" despite in only eight months winning the Champions league, the FA Cup and steering Chelsea into 5th place after their poor start last year.
They sit 3rd in the Premiership despite losing Drogba and having Terry, Cole and Lampard missing for a lot of the season.

Ancelotti got lumbered with over £70 million worth of misfiring striker and an erratic centre half because Abramovich wanted them, and AVB and Di Matteo have carried the same burden, but of course it's their fault.


I don't really like Nigel Adkins but can't believe they are talking of dumping him after 2 straight promotions, and Brian McDermott is another who has performed miracles to get Reading to the Premier league and is also being tipped to go soon?
I can't really sympathise with Mark Hughes who must take some of the blame for bringing in so many average and past it players to disrupt any team spirit that QPR had.

D Day Again

A trip to Leicester tonight will possibly confirm we are bound for the play off's, but I still hang on to that slim chance that miracles can happen :)
We haven't won at Leicester since 2000 but we have only played there 3 times since then so it's not impossible.
It does seem last week's slightly negative tactics and poor finishing at Bristol has been the result that cost us automatic promotion, But hopefully a good win tonight might just add that little bit of pressure to Southampton when they play relegated Coventry on Saturday?

Thoughts

Just writing what I'm thinking .... Chelsea win thanks to dodgy ref, Suarez booked for persistent diving ... nothing new there then :)
The football league show have just told me West Ham are away to Birmingham on Monday yay!! I thought we were at home so no chance of a win ... sadly I was right and they got it wrong :(
But if ??? we win, and Southampton lose to Palace and then Reading lose to Brighton on Tuesday it would be 79 points to Reading and Southampton and 78 to us going in to Friday's meeting of the top 2, before we play Brighton on Saturday meaning a win puts us back in the automatic promotion positions :) I can dream can't I.

D Day

Forget the Premiership, the biggest game of the day is the Hammers v Reading.
Despite the dubious home form we are still in with a shout of automatic promotion and hopefully this is the day that Fat Sam sends out a team that can do it at Upton park instead of just on the road.
Even if the unthinkable happens the top 3 all have some tough games coming up so it could still all change.

Southampton - P 39 Pts 78 GD +37 - A Blackpool, H Portsmouth, A Crystal P, H Reading, A Peterborough, A Middlesbrough, H Coventry
We could do with Holly's boys doing us a favour today, then the south coast derby should be intense and they still have to play Reading. Hopefully Ricky Lambert picks up an injury or another straight red as they struggled without him before.
I'm still holding on to my long held belief that they will blow up soon but the end is getting nearer :(

Reading - P 39 Pts 73 GD +22 - A West Ham, H Leeds, A Brighton, A Southampton, H Nottm F, H Crystal P, A Birmingham
Reading probably have the hardest run in with trips to us, Southampton, Brighton and Birmingham but they have looked really good in recent weeks.

West Ham - P 39 Pts 72 GD +23 - H Reading, A Barnsley, H Birmingham, H Brighton, A Bristol C, A Leicester, H Hull
All winable but the home form is a worry.

What Happened

Quite a lot happening since my last post!, here's my opinion on what I can remember about Cappello, Redknapp, Liverpool, Rangers, Huddersfield, West Ham, Leeds, Chelsea etc.

Fabio Cappello resigns, maybe 2 years too late? I do think he's a very good manager at club level and might even replace AVB at Chelsea but was never going to get public support forthe obvious reasons of being arrogant and Italian.
Once the FA undermined him over John Terry it was only a matter of time before he walked, and I don't expect him to be jobless long even if he has to take a pay cut.

Harry Redknapp let off? OK I'm not a lawyer but that seems a surprise, maybe Harry's dog isn't as wealthy anymore. Now he's the number one pick for England manager? the press must be driving that one as poor old harry has a warehouse full of skeletons which they can drag up before every major game to undermine him, just ask Stuart Pearce who had his character assassinated immediately over an argument with Paul Ince 18 years ago (I thought every player who ever met Ince wanted to thump him).

Liverpool Muppets Suarez and Dalglish manage to drag Liverpool's reputation even deeper into the mud despite the American owners making them apologise in a bid to sell shirts in non white countries around the world.

Glasgow Rangers finally go into administration as expected meaning Celtic should walk to the title this season. Rangers paying for years of living beyond their means :(

Lee Clark sacked by Huddersfield, a complete mystery this one?
They sit 4th in the league, have only lost 3 games this season and set a record 43 games unbeaten recently. I'm sure there will be a few nervous managers around the league with Clark looking for a new job.

Lee Probert once again proving he needs a visit to Specsavers in the West Ham v Southampton top of the table clash after missing a handball that the whole ground saw, then sending off Matt Taylor for an imaginary punch that floored Billy Sharp.

Ken Bates shows he's still got it by appointing Neil Warnock as the new Leeds boss, Warnock is probably the only person who is more unpopular in Leeds than Bates.

Chelsea? how much longer for AVB who has managed to turn Chelsea into a very run of the mill premier team, I suppose they could end the season with a European and FA Cup double but it really doesn't look likely.

Paul Jewell must have been very close to the sack at Ipswich when they played the Hammers a few weeks back, but after tonking us they are flying proving that some managers should be given a few weeks longer.

Arsenal bow out of this season's Champions league after being totally outplayed by Milan, Ibrahimovic finally showing against an english team what all the fuss is about.

Congrats to Zambia for winning the African Nations cup on penalties.

I'm sure I've missed lots of stuff but that was the highlights :)

The Big One

1 Southampton - PL 11 PTS 23 GD +13
2 West Ham - PL 11 PTS 21 GD +12

West Ham's second chance of the season to go top (they blew the first one against Ipswich a few weeks back).
Southampton are looking the best team in the Championship so far having just come up from League One and five straight league victories at home is pretty impressive.
The Hammers seem to be improving all the time and Fat Sam's squad are gelling together nicely.
The Hammers are unbeaten in five away games this season so something has to give.
Saturday's 4-0 win over Blackpool was probably our best game so far even without Lansbury, Green, O'Brien and Cole.
Would be a good game to win although there is still over three quarters of the season to go.