The FC 100: Loves Talking Football.

Kevin Keegan has returned to St James’ Park on a three and a half year deal to manage Newcastle.

Just when you thought the Premiership had slowed down in terms of excitement! This news has made thefc100 damn well excited and we are looking forward to goals galore at Newcastle from now on.

It’ll hopefully be a return to the days of we’ll score more than you despite the fact that we’ve conceded twelve already. A style that so endeared him to Newcastle fans as well as Premiership neutrals everywhere.

Outstanding news. Roll on the Keegan return…..

Sam Allardyce has been sacked after 24 games in charge of Newcastle.

A change in ownership at the club had not impacted on Allardyce’s reign too much with continued support being offered from Mike Ashley.

However, hours after speaking to reporters about potential transfer targets, Allardyce wa contacted by Sky Sports to ask was there any truth to the rumours he had been dismissed.

Sam said he’d have to go and check and sure enough. Bang. Sacked.

Continue reading ‘Big Sam feels some Geordie wrath’

Jol on his way out after yet another defeat?

Newcastle pushed Martin Jol closer to the exit door at Spurs as they carved out a deserved 3 – 1 win at St. James’s Park  The gap between the supposed “top 4” and the best of the rest in the Barclay’s Premier League was clearly in evidence tonight at St. James’s Park. The meeting of Spurs and Newcastle had ‘cracker’ written all over it. Spurs, misfiring of late needed to push on to escape from the slump which saw them in 18^th spot before tonight’s game. Newcastle haven’t been firing on all cylinders and tonight was a chance for both teams put out their mission statement for the rest of the season. 

Spurs were the team tipped to break the stranglehold of the top 4 at the beginning of the season and displays from the tail-end of last season seemed to enforce that. Even some displays this season have been promising but frailties at the back seem to keep costing them. Ironically, somewhat like Newcastle in recent years. The opening was promising from both teams but Newcastle seemed to grasp the game and settle in that bit quicker than Martin Jol’s men.  

Chances were few and far between for Keane and Bent and their most meaningful chance in the first 20mins saw Keane’s deft chip over Given cleared by the Newcastle back-line. An infuriated Shay Given charged to the half-way line to confront referee Alan Bennett for allowing a quick free-kick which produced the chance after Bale had signalled for attention from the bench. Bale went off soon after and with him spurs most creative outlet. 

 The strength of Faye and Martins was causing problems for Spurs all evening and Faye got on the end of numerous throw-ins from Geremi on the left wing. The inability of the Totenham back-line in general and Kaboul in particular to recognise the recurring threat was symptomatic of the defensive vulnerability Jol’s team suffer from. Spurs played some great stuff when they got going with Malbranque supplying some elaborate touches and linking up well with Keane but Newcastle typified the Allardyce approach and refused to let them play.  

The game went stale towards the end of the first half until an apparently harmless long ball from Newcastle’s Spanish left-back, Enrique, caught Michael Dawson in all sorts of trouble and allowed Martins to smash past Cerny for the opener. Dawson had been looking shaky all evening and, to be fair, all season and seemed unable to control anything that came near him. It was only a matter of time before he cost Spurs a goal. 

Within five minutes of the restart a set-piece cost Spurs dearly. A near-post corner from Emre was met by the head of Cacapa who duly opened his Newcastle account and surprise surprise, Dawson was marking him. Apparently Berbatov had to be asked three times by Jol to warm up and made his appearance on the sideline just after the goal. Wearing a sullen look and not particularly trying, Berbatov observed another lacklustre performance from his team-mates on his haunches.  

Newcastle grew in stature as the half wore on and the spirit and desire was as obvious in the Newcastle side as it was lacking in the Totenham eleven. But Spurs were handed a life-line in the 57^th minute as Keane responded quickest to a Bent header which came back off the post and slotted home from the most minimal of distances.

A captain’s goal to galvanise a team? Not quite. Berbatov made an appearance immediately after the goal in place of Malbranque and any advantage Spurs had secured from the goal seemed to ebb away before Martin Jol’s disbelieving eyes. Off the pace and lacking any sort of drive, the Berb was the wrong player to bring on to claw back a result against a spirited side.     

Newcastle appeared the more comfortable on the ball and at the back as Spurs gave away possession frequently and began to look frustrated. Spurs began to grow into the game and a nervous Newcastle looked vulnerable for the first time in the game. A glimpse of what Berbatov can do when he’s in the mood was seen as he controlled a ball over the top and slipped a sublime pass through for Bent to blast high and wide. The introduction of Joey Barton for his Newcastle debut was greeted by loud applause from the home crowd as Emre made way.  

Within two minutes the Spurs revival was over as James Milner capped a fine performance with a goal. Just inside the box he mis-kicked a failed clearance but took the second chance with aplomb and drove the half-volley to the keeper’s left. 

Two teams with top 4 aspirations and European dreams showed exactly how far they are away from realising their ambitions tonight as they battled and fought but there was a surprising lack of class and quality. 

(5): Fernand Torres, Liverpool V Chelsea. Torres is fed by a beautiful ball from Steven Gerrard which is angled perfectly between Tal Ben Haim and Torres for the Spaniard to run onto. Torres took a touch, then changed pace with his next touch to leave Ben Haim for dead before cooly slotting past Petr Cech into the far corner of the net, giving Liverpool the lead on Torres’ Anfield debut.

(4): Matt Derbyshire, Blackburn Vs Middlesbrough. After Benni McCarthy went off with what apeared to be a serious injury, his Blackburn teammates were stung into action and substitute Santa Cruz scored on his debut to level matters. Then, with the game pised at 1-1 and Boro feeling hard done by to have surrendered their lead, Matt Derbyshire picked up the ball at the left hand edge of the box. The England U-21 striker then curled a beautiful shot at pace past Boro keeper Mark Schwarzer’s despairing dive that couldn’t get near the matchwinner for Blackburn.

(3): Steven Gerrard, Liverpool V Aston Villa. After Jamie Carragher’s handball gave Villa an equalising penalty with five minutes remaining, Liverpool fans began to feel it would be another first day without a win to start their season. However when Steven Gerrard went to ground from Petrov’s foul, Villa weren’t happy with the decision but Gerrard readied himself for the free-kcik. The Liverpool captain then unleashed an explosive free-kick that gave the impressive Stuart Taylor absolutely no chance in goal. The 87th minute strike proved to be the matchwinner for Liverpool.

(2): Nani, Manchester Utd V Spurs. Utd and Spurs were on level terms last Sunday with both teams anxious to register a morale-boosting victory. Both sides had come close before a ball was cleared as far as Nani and Paul Scholes in midfield. While Scholes sought the ball, Nani dribbled around his teammate and with the Spurs defence backing off, unleashed a phenomenal shot that flew into the roof of Paul Robinson’s net. The sheer power was enough to make the shot unstoppable.

(1): Charles N’Zogbia, Newcastle V Middlesbrough. With the fierce local rivals level at 0-0, enterprising left-back Charles N’Zogbia embarked on a customary attacking run down the left wing. George Boateng came across to cover the right-back slot but N’Zogbia cut inside with Boro’s captain snapping at his heels. Having cut inside the Nigerian reached the centre of the pitch before unleashing a sweet strike with his right foot past everyone and into the bottom corner to give Newcastle the lead. (take a look at the video below for confirmation!!)

Video - Middlesbrough 2-2 Newcastle

 Close but no cigar: Matt Oakley, Derby V Birmingham; Oliver Kapo, Birmingham Vs Chelsea; Jermaine Jenas, Spurs V Derby.

Chelsea’s talks with Sevilla are ongoing after the Spanish club rejected a reported offer of around £24 million from the Londoners for versatile right-back Daniel Alves. Alves, who has attracted the biggest names in European football over the last two seasons, is known to favour a move to the Premiership and to Chelsea above Real Madrid whose interest may be waning due to their recent signings and the proposed signing of Chelsea’s Arjen Robben. Alves would make a hugely impressive signing for Chelsea, a player with the flair that they are so often accused of lacking, the Brazilian is hugely effective going forward and would probably be given more of a free licence to roam forward under Mourinho who favours attacking wing-backs alongside an impenetrable centre-back pairing. However, given that Roman Abramovich has been tightening the purse strings recently, Chelsea may struggle to justify spending closer to £30 million on the player after splashing out on Florent Malouda recently and with the squad still containing high-profile, expensive flops such as Shaun Wright-Philips and Mr. Shevchenko*, Abramovich may be waiting to see some cash from the sale of Robben before he gives the green light for Alves’ signing.  

* Thefc100 still believes Shevchenko may come good this season, while SWP has been showing some good form so far already. We don’t mean to be unnecessarily harsh. All the time.

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Mido has completed his move from Tottenham to Middlesbrough for a fee of around £6 million. The forward has secured a move away from White Hart Lane after having talks with Birmingham and Sunderland but deciding the team with two defeats in two games best visualises his dreams for future footballing success. Or maybe it’s because they’ve agreed to pay him the most money and have probably included a buy-out fee.

The Egyptian was a hit at White Hart Lane after arriving on an initial 18 month loan stint from Roma and formed an impressive partnership with either Keane or Defoe in most Premiership games. Boro become Mido’s eigth professional club and with the volatile Egyptian having fallen out with numerous coaches over the years, Gareth Southgate’s first job will be trying to fit the striker in with Boro’s squad. Whether or not he has the Midos touch remains to be seen……(apologies.)

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Could be worse though. Friends Reunited. Lovers, Colleagues, All-Round Nice Guys (felt the need for a lot of Capital Letters there) Kieron Dyer and Lee Bowyer are back together and Alan Curbishley may well be absolutely insane. Bellamy, Dyer, Bowyer, Lucas Neill, Anton Ferdinand, Luis Boa Morte…..it’s like some sick experiment to see how many hot-heads you can put in one squad without a significant case of death occurring. This signing surely cements West Ham’s status as relegation contenders. The fact is, Kieron Dyer could be a hell of a player. In fact this site would love to see him get back to his best. But putting him in with players who are known trouble-makers could be a serious mistake. Curbishley was in the press yesterday biting back at ex-left back Paul Konchesky’s comments that he doesn’t hold the support of the playing staff and that he was the reason Tevez left and Darren Bent decided not to sign for the Hammers. This move further undermines his status at the club: something of a headless chicken, Curbishley seems to be signing as many good players as possible without forming them into a better team. The fact that Dyer has had years of injury problems will also worry the Hammers fans, as Neill, Upson, Ashton, Green and even new signing Freddie Ljungberg have all had serious histories of injury problems, Dyer is simply another name on the list. However, if (and we stress the word IF) Curbishley can get Dyer back to his best, the signing could prove vital. The final fee is reportedly around £8 million, a further sign of weakness from West Ham as Newcastle have basically taken another £2 million after agreeing to sell him for £6 million, only to remember West Ham are now loaded and seemingly willing to pay whatever it takes to capture their transfer targets.

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Roy can’t believe “chops” nicked it in extra-time. 

As the dust settles on the opening weekend of the new Premiership season we are left with many things to consider. Have Manchester United already fallen behind in their title bid? Do the new boys stand a realistic chance of staying up? And has Jens Lehman eclipsed Massimo Taibi in the most ridiculous blunders contest?

Sunderland kicked off the new season in style with a 1-0 win over Spurs at the Stadium of Light. Granted it was fortuitous but some solid work and a never say die attitude got them into the position to win the game. One could say that Spurs threw it away with a complete loss of concentration in the last five or ten minutes but the truth is that they were mis-firing all day. Berbatov looked liked he wanted to be somewhere else and did something we never saw last season and got involved in the moaning matches between other players. Twice he could be seen turning around to his own team-mates with a face like Quentin Fortune giving out about the lack of accuracy with their passing. Keane was the only one that looked relatively dangerous, and Malbranque. Spurs thought they were supposed to win and started slowly. They never really hit any sort of level while Sunderland were industrious. Sunderland will be caught out this season though. They have very few attacking options and if Stokes doesn’t improve he may well find himself at another club. Dwight Yorke was found out in the middle and even though Etuthu looked good and knocked down everything that came near him a passing game and intuitive awareness he has not. The big plus from the game was the centre back pairing of Nosworthy and McShane. McShane was immense. Nothing got past him and he made some very clever interceptions. Without McShane on Saturday, Sunderland would have lost. No question.

The pick of 3 o’ clock kick offs was Big Sam back to face Little Sam. Newcastle V Bolton. The war of words that has erupted since Allardyce moved to Newcastle is is as unsavoury as old men shouting dirty words at each other in a supermarket. Allardyce has been the more reserved of the warring parties and decided to do his talking on the pitch and, as it turns out, he made a very good point. Newcastle raced into a dominant lead having scored 3 without reply inside a half an hour. N’Zogbia with a free kick that fooled everyone, Martins with a delightful overhead kick and he duly added another shortly after. Bolton managed a tame response with a consolation from Anelka. Newcastle played well but were by no means impressive. Bolton succumbed to Allardyce’s 4-4-3 far too easily and the goals flew in. It’s inexplicable really but as Kevin Nolan said himself, smiling: “They just played like us last year”. They did Kevin, and that’s why they won. Despite his often unatractive style, Allardyce knows how to win football matches and that could be a telling factor for a decent enough squad who never had a proper manager. Bolton on the other hand were toothless without the unhappy Diouf who was puzzled by the decision to leave him on the bench. When he appeared second half, Bolton automatically reverted back to Allardyce tactics and they had much more about them. Interesting… Derby were up against Portsmouth in their opener and everybody’s favourite for the drop got off to a flier with captain, Matt Oakley slapping one home to get the fans excited. Pompey were level after twenty odd minutes through Benjani and looked solid. They increased the pressure and were starting to show some real class but a determined Derby held them off until the last ten minutes when new boy Utaka fired home but Derby would not be stopped. Another new boy, Andy Todd, headed Derby to parity a minute later and Derby earned their point. Billy Davies got his tactics dead on and managed to keep Pompey quiet for most of the match. They were never going to be able to keep them scoreless and sit on their goal for the entire game but they had the will to get one back after going behind. Harry will be happy enough with his sides performance also as they looked very good at times. He should be confident before Manchester United arrive on Wednesday to the place they lost last year.

Everton and Wigan was a poor game. Any team with Titus Bramble, Jason Koumas and Kevin Kilbane must be as horrible as they sound. Everton weren’t firing on all cylinders bar Mikel Arteta who was imperious but they didn’t need to be to see off a Wigan side destined for the drop. Nothing doing up front, not much going on in midfield and a defence that doesn’t look like it could cope with a cold means that you just add a sprinkle of managerial astuteness from Hutchings and Wigan are well and truly f***ed. Two goals from young striker, Victor Anichebe and not so young, Leon Osman meant Everton were comfortable throughout and even though Wigan got one back through substitute Sibierski, the result was never in doubt. Everton will need to tighten up to push on from last season while Wigan might aswell call it a day now because it’s all over for them. Middlesbrough entertained Blackburn at the Riverside and it turned out to be an entertaining affair. Benni McCarthy got knocked out, Santa-Cruz came off the bench and looked like a messiah getting an equaliser after Downing’s free kick found a Pedersen-shaped gap in the wall, and Derbyshire came off the bench to get a saucy winner! Blackburn looked good but surprisingly, so did Middlesbrough. Inventive in attack and with Downing looking in good form Middlesbrough took to the new season like sven to Man city. Blackburn were caught out by their opponents bright start but soon got to grips and their class told in the end. (Didn’t think we would ever saying that about Blackburn). Santa-Cruz looks like a bargain and is sure to be getting on the scoresheet more often. Exciting times if you’re part of the Ewood Park faithful!

Speaking of all things Sven, his Manchester City (allbeit revamped and better than ever) went to Upton Park to have a look at West Ham. Slick passing, creative flair and threatening attacks were all features of City’s game. It was unbelievable. Sven is proving his critics wrong and showing that he is a decent manager after all and just because the Sun say something, doesn’t make it true, in fact it’s usuall complete b***ocks. Elano, whom we tipped to be their best signing, showed why he cost £8 million even though not many people had heard of him. The creative hub of an accomplished City side, he ran the show in midfield and waltzed past the West Ham players to literally hand Bianchi the ball for the opening goal. West Ham, for their part, were not at the races at all and were left behind very quickly. Onuha (best guess spelling) was impressive at the back for City and powered his way up the touch-line and into the box to setup Geovanni for City’s second goal. Even though he has every reason to despise the English media, Sven was polite and dignified in the pre and post match press conferences. What a gentleman. City are now a team to watch like one might watch any of the top four. Seriously. Aston Villa played host to Liverpool in the late kick-off and were under the cosh from the get go. Liverpool were full of pace, aggression and ideas as they played good stuff all over the park. The inevitable came after 31 minutes as pressure forced Laursen into putting the ball past his own ‘keeper. After getting the goal, however, Liverpool took the foot off slightly and allowed Villa slowly back in. The second half proved alien to the first as Villa came out hungry and attacking. They made use of Carew’s height and after a while Carragher et al. stopped challenging for arial balls with the big man. Constant pressure down the wings eventually reaped reward as Carew’s flicked header came up on to Carragher’s arm. It seemed almost impossible for him to get his hand out of the way but the referee was all out of sympathy and Carragher didn’t even complain and up stepped Barry to draw the two sides level. With five minutes left a draw would have been the fairest of results on the balance of the whole game but Gerrard managed to con the referee into giving him a free-kick in prime Gerrard position and scored an absoloutely wonderful goal high in the top-right hand corner of the net. A cruel and bitter blow for Villa but good news for Liverpool who start their campaign with a win.

Sunday saw the top two from last year and Arsenal in action. Arsenal had Fulham round theirs and immediately fell prey to the precocious talent of David Healy. He has been waiting a long time to shine in the Premiership and now he has arrived and it was marked in style as he got on the scoresheet inside one minute. A ridiculous blunder by Lehmann see here: (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFChawnpIAM) What was he thinking? Arsenal dominated long stretches of the game and their passing was a joy to watch but again they were lacking an experienced head to orchestrate a goal. All their possesion wasn’t getting them anywhere and Fulham were enjoying some good spells of their own. They might not be fancied by many to stay up but they looked good yesterday. Fulham were six minutes away from a famous victory when Arsenal, whose players had been diving all day long, were awarded a penalty. Sanchez was furious after the game as he though the referee was too leniant on the persistent simulation and he was right. The recent meeting between the managers and Hackett the head of the referee people added simulation or diving to the new list of offences which would be punished this season but Phil Dowd obviously didn’t get the memo because although he turned down 3 penalty shouts because they were clearly dives he didn’t do anything about the players. On the 4th attempt the spotter was given and Van Persie put away a nice one high into the roof of the net. All Fulham’s hard work was undone. Heads clearly dropped and what had seemed like 3 points turned into 1 suddenly dissolved into 0 as Hleb got into the box in the 90th minute and managed to squeeze one past the ‘keeper. Daylight robbery at the Emirates. Arsenal will do well this season but they will be there for the taking by the big sides. Fulham were a broken team at the final whistle and Arsenal were doing their best to revive the hatred they aroused when Keown, Winterburn et al. were still there.

Next was Chelsea against newly promoted Birmingham. Chelsea were looking to protect their foreboding home record and didn’t expect much trouble against lowly Birmingham. Steve Bruce’s side opened the scoring on 15 minutes through Forsell. A stunned Stamford Bridge was brought back to life with a debut goal 2 minutes later from Pizzaro. Malouda added to that but another debut goal, this time from Birmingham’s Kapo, brought the sides level. The deadlock was broken in the second half when Essien, on 50 minutes produced a terrific shot from outside the box and it managed to squeeze in despite the attention of Colin Doyle. Birmingham were lively during the game and went to the Bridge to play football and not to shut up shop. Understandably they were outclassed by, to be honest, a magnificent looking Chelsea but at least they gave it a shot and without Terry at the back Chelsea were always vulnerable. Once Essien scored the game quitened down a bit and Chelsea played keep ball. Surprisingly enough, O’ Connor didn’t feature for Birmingham even though this game would have suited the fiesty Scot. A big target man up front rustling a few feathers would have not sat well with Chelsea and could have afforded Birmingham some more chances. Unfortunately for Colin Doyle, who was heralded toward the back end of last season,  he was simply to blame for two of Chelseas’ goals and even though they were likely to score anyway gifting them two was not ideal. 

Last up yesterday was the visit of Steve Copell’s Reading to Old Trafford to face Manchester United. A frustrating day for United saw them draw with Reading. The game started in a positive manner but once United hit a rythm Reading found themselves doing a Faroe Islands on it. They stuck 9 men behind the ball and left Hunt up front to chase the long ball. Copell knows his tactics and Reading did not go there for the win. Michael Duberry did a fantastic job snuffing out Wayne Rooney and Shorey set to work on Giggs and Ronaldo. Even though man-marked, Rooney was the most promising on the field and was a constant threat to Reading. Ronaldo had some flashes but didn’t see enough of the ball and Giggs hit the post with a nice volley. Duberry got too close to Rooney in the end and stood on his foot accidentally, causing a hairline fracture. Rooney didn’t come out after the break and that was it really. The focus was gone and United huffed and puffed but couldn’t get it in the net. O’ Shea came on and was asked to play up front with Giggs. He got one save out of an inspired Hahnemann but didn’t recieve enough service. Duberry was far and away Reading’s best player, snuffing out everything that came into the box (including Rooney apparently) while Hunt was full of running and gettingup people’s noses. Kitson came on to do a hatchet job and recieved his marching orders 31 seconds later for a high and dangerous tackle on Evra. It was a small bit surprising to see the red and most other referees would probably have given a yellow. It was a dangerous challenge however and he had to get something. Reading were never in any danger of scoring and Doyle was surprisingly subdued. Tevez looks set to step into the breach for Wednesday’s game against Portsmouth with Saha and Solskjaer still recovering from injury.  

Dunno who this bloke is but he won the league so he must be handy. 

Even though we all like to think, somewhere deep in our hearts, that there is a true element of competition in the Premiership the top three are pretty much cemented at this non-stage of the season. While it would be superb to see an English version of what happened in La Liga this year with four teams going right down to the wire and two teams able to win it on the last day, it will more than likely be Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool in some variation at the top with one team in particular crowned Champions in early April. So, what is left to predict? Many people would include Arsenal in a guaranteed top four but to be fair, the North London outfit have been shaky over the past few seasons and while they will definitely be there or there abouts come may next year, it is by no means a certainty. Now the rest of the teams in the premiership talk of a league excluding the so called Big 4. Fifth is usually top of that league but it appears that Arsenal have slipped into the “second tier” and are involved in this fight for fourth. So who are the contenders?

Arsenal

Seem obvious contenders considering their status as one of the best footballing sides in Europe. They’re pre-season went well and if they play the way they did for their first ten minutes against PSG then they will win everything going. They lost their way though and the lack of an experienced head was telling. If they hit a rough spot along the way it is hard to pick out the players who will drag them out of it. Wenger obviously has faith in his squad and everyone could be eating their words this season but their lack of activity in the transfer market, player exits and the unsettled nature of the boardroom could see the Gunners turn into the Liverpool of a few years back. Will Arsenal fans be talking about the glory days of old for the next few years?

Tottenham Hotspurs

Spurs are next in line for the throne. They have been pushing their North London rivals for some time now and over the past two seasons have been looking more and more capable of ousting the Gunners. Martin Jol is certainly not shy when it comes to spending money and this summer he has brought in a number of both promising and proven players. Gareth Bale, who was arguably one of the best players in the Championship last season, is likely to solve Spurs left-back problem while Bent will provide even more competition up front for Berbatov, Keane and Defoe. Three more signings including French U21 defender Younes Kaboul, the finalising of Adel Taarabt’s loan deal from Lens and Kevin-Prince Boateng from Hertha Berlin make the full package an attacking midfielder, a defensive midfielder, a left-back, a centre-half and a striker. What more could you ask for? If they get the right breaks at the beginning, expect Spurs to be pushing the top three hard this season.

Newcastle United

New man, new fortunes? Big Sam seemed to breathe new life into the sleeping giant that is Newcastle United when he was appointed a few months back and already he has attracted the type of players which the club deserve but previous managers couldn’t quite capture. As well as bringing his scientific outlook from Bolton, Allardyce has imparted his personality on the board, demanding transfer activity and one can only wonder why Newcastle didn’t hire him two or three years ago. Having brought Bolton from nothing to a decent premiership side with top six aspirations the possibilities at Newcastle are far wider. A bigger club in all aspects means that Sam will be desperate to be considered a top manger and make newcastle a top club again. An already decent squad has been supplemented by new faces and much needed defenders. Geremi, Cacappa the Lyon captain, Rozhenal from PSG and Enrique, a left-back from Villareal have all arrived to bolster the back four. Add this to the arrival of Joey Barton, Alan Smith, Mark viduka and the presence of Obafemi Martins and Michael Owen and never ever forgetting Shay Given and Newcastle have a strong team which could easily compete in Europe. They lack slightly in midfield  but if Duffer is back and Emre continues his fine run of form from Pre-Season into the new campaign then they shouldn’t have to worry too much about it. Newcastle could prove to be more than a match for anyone in the premiership this season.

Everton

After a great season three years ago when they qualified for the Champions league, Everton have been struggling slightly. A good solid campaign last season has lifted spirits in the blue half of Liverpool and Moyes is hoping to improve again but it is difficult to see it happening considering their transfer activity. Granted, Moyes did well in getting Baines but his other signings leave a lot to be desired. Jagielka from Sheffield United and Steven Pienaar on loan from Dortmund. Both could turn out to be very astute buys but Moyes isn’t really inspiring confidence among the Everton faithful. A new striker should be on the cards for the toffees with Johnson, and youngsters Vaughn and Anichebe the only strikers at the club. Everton have been accredited with an interest in Middlesbrough’s Yakubu but things have been going so slowly it appears unlikely to go through. One of the main things Everton have going for them is Moyes himself. A great manager who knows how to motivate and get results from a team, Moyes has had Everton punching above their weight for quite some time now and this season should be no different. Expect some good results against supposed better teams but slip-ups against sides they should be beating.

Portsmouth

Pompey have been steadily improving under Harry Redknapp’s guidance and the chairman’s money. They had a great spell last year where they were tipped for Europe before inconsistency let them down. A couple of great signings last year in Sol Campbell and Lauren have set up Portsmouth’s back line and this has been added to this summer by Distin from Manchester City, Crainie from South coast rivals Southampton and Charlton’s Hreidarsson. Muntari in midfield and the exciting prospect of Nugent and former Rennes hitman, Utaka, up front means that Portsmouth can only be stronger for their experiences last season and build on that with new blood from the summer window. Inconsistency could prove the downfall once more for Redknapps men but if they can create a never-say-die attitude in the dressing room who knows what they could achieve.

Blackburn Rovers

Mark Hughes has been turning Blackburn slowly into a good solid team which doesn’t lose easily and knows hoe to keep a lead. After getting a reputation for being a bit heavy in the tackle, Blackburn were suffering from having a lot of heart but not very much in the way of class. Pedersen’s form over the past few seasons has been outstanding and all credit to Hughes for keeping him at the club. An inspirational signing last summer in Benni McCarthy gave Rovers an attacking outlet to rival Didier Drogba at Chelsea and the emergence of Matt Derbyshire has given Blackburn great attacking options and after this summer’s activities, Hughes has an embarrassment of riches up front. Rigters, who finished top scorer at this summer’s U21 European Championships and Roque Santa Cruz who scored a hat-trick this summer against Colombia in the Copa America, have been thrown in the mix with Nonda, Roberts, McCarthy and Derbyshire. Bentley is continuing to impress on the right and with Reid and Savage both coming back from injuries which took away most of last season from them, Blackburn look to be in a promising position. Another one for the motivation, Hughes does not like to lose and Ewood Park may be one of those places teams don’t like to play at this season. The capture of Santa Cruz signals intent from Hughes and this season they will be pushing hard for Europe again.

Manchester City

6 months ago I would have whispered this so nobody would hear me and think I was mad. Having spent over £40 Million on new players, however, City could be a revitalised outfit this season. It always takes time for new players and especially foreign players to gel at a club and make themselves comfortable but if this can happen sooner rather than later then City fans could be in for a treat. To be perfectly honest thefc100 isn’t too familiar with some of his signings but the captures of Elano and Martin Petrov are gems. Whether they will suit City is another thing but Elano is a player who did well in an unorthadox Brazil side at the Copa America this summer and will add some creativity to the team and Petrov is a player who was in huge demand around Europe after an impressive season at Atletico Madrid before Sven whispered in his ear. Sven has the capabilities to succeed at City and he has the ability to attract big players. A good season and a top-six finish this year and I shudder to think who they will be linked with next year! The English and other players who were there before Sven arrived mustn’t know what to do with themselves. If thefc100 spoke a bit of Italian we could probably have been signed for City! The money which has changed hands at eastlands means that instant results will be expected by Shinawatra. It is difficult to see them doing it this year but they will certainly be exciting. 

There is also Bolton, Villa, West Ham if they play their cards right and reading. Can’t really see any of those sides breaking the dominance of the other challengers though. Bolton will miss Allardyce’s influence. Villa haven’t brought in enough players and Reading may well “pull a Wigan” and be fighting relegation this season.

Ok, hand on heart this is how we think it will go down:

4. Tottenham

5. Arsenal

6. Newcastle

7. Blackburn

8. Portsmouth 

9. Manchester City

10. Everton

Gerrard after a previous sending off against Everton, was lucky to only get a yellow against Feyenoord. 

Oh the excitement! West Ham and Newcastle have fallen foul of eachother in a mysterious, behind the scenes ‘bust-up’. Steven Gerrard rattles Feyenoord’s Lucius in a manner befitting an inner-city nightclub and United and Chelsea deliver a Community Shield match low on football but high on entertainment with spotters and Wayne Rooney and Tal Haim rekindling old rivalries. We also have Baines to Everton, Jose Enrique Sanchez Diaz (from now on to be known as Ted) to Big Sam’s Newcastle and In demand ‘Keeper, Craig Gordon, to make a choice of Premiership clubs. 

Firstly to this puzzler concerning a curious love triangle involving Keiron Dyer, Newcsatle United and West Ham United. Firstly Dyer announces that, for family reasons, he has become unsettled in the North and would welcome a move South to the London area. Cue interest from West Ham (whom we firmly believe would sign anything that moves this summer). All seemed rosy between the two camps after the Hammers had met the Geordies asking price believed to be around £6 million  mark. Then, disaster struck. Late yesterday evening West Ham manager, Alan Curbishley announced that the deal had fallen through after Newcastle had “blocked” the move at the 11th hour. It was reported that Newcastle had asked for more money and this was confirmed by Allardyce earlier today when he said that they readjusted their valuation of the player and if West Ham didn’t adjust theirs no deal would happen. To add a sprinkle of mystery to the whole affair, big Sam also said :

“If Curbs started it, then we are more upset than they are, that is a fact. Why? That is confidential. He is not as upset as we are about West Ham.” 

Oohhhhh… So know it looks as if Kieron, the perrenial pessimist, must struggle through with his contract at St. Jame’s Park and his outlandish salary and try to wear a brave face as he shoulders his burden. Nobody knows his pain! Surely it would have been way better at West Ham… The truth is, £6 nillion for Dyer is just about right at the moment but Newcastle can be justified in their actions. Considering the inflated price of English players at the moment (see Reo-Coker £8.5 million and Bent £stupid million) and the fact that either Curbishley or West Ham obviously offended Big Sam’s sensibilities then upping the price is something Newcastle were well within their rights to do. They are no longer a club which can be played around with and at the end of the day, Dyer has a contract there and if the deal isn’t good for the club then he shouldn’t expect to be allowed leave.

Liverpool V Feyenoord in the Rotterdam tournament produced a bit of a heated affair as the game finished in a 1-1 draw. Two fine goals, scored by the two protagonists in the melee which followed, were overshadowed towards the end of the game as match as Drenthe caught Gerrard late with a rather hairy challenge. The Red’s skipper was less than impressed and as a fracas ensued he seemed to come across and catch Lucius in the face with a punch. He was cautioned by the referee and taken off immediately by Benitez. Gerrard was extremely lucky not to see red for his actions and many United fans must feel aggrieved following an incident in a pre-season friendly last season where Scholes and Rooney both saw red cards against Porto and received 3 match bans at the beginning of the competitive season. In comparrison to those incidents, this looked much worse and, while nobody likes to see cards dished out during friendlies, you have to question why there was a referee there at all if he was going to let something as blatant as that go. Gerrard is a lucky boy and Liverpool are lucky to have him for Saturday’s opener against Aston Villa. Check it out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiHu3UbPkVg

Yesterday also saw the return to battle in competitive action as United took on Chelsea in the FA Community Shield. What was a rather dull affair was sparked into life by veteran and Captain for the day, Ryan Giggs, with a well taken goal on 35 mins. The following ten minutes were lively and culminated with Chelsea new boy, Malouda finishing after a great run down the left. He definitely looks a player who will be shaking things up this season. The second half was a return to the norm and was as quiet as a priest on a Wednesday and the crowd prayed for spotters. They were duly appeased and Alex Ferguson must have felt like calling it a day there and then considering United’s record in penalty shoot-outs. But lo and behold, Van der Sar proved to be the hero as he saved from Lampard, SWP and Pizzaro leaving Rooney to score the winner after Ferdinand and Carrick had converted. Rooney himself acknowledged the tame nature of the game in an interview afterwards but conceded that it was nice to draw first blood. Himself and Chelseas acquistition from Bolton also came close to drawing blood after a few hefty challenges as they re-ignited tensions laid down after Rooney was sent off for pushing Ben Haim in the face last season. All in all one of the most entertaining aspects of the afternoon was the way neither side held back with tackles and there was a genuine competitive edge in the clash.

Even though the transfer window deadline is fast approaching the players are still arriving. The departure of Wigan’s talismanic defender Leighton Baines to Everton for £5 million heralds the demise of Wigan Athletic. Manager Chris Hutchings was never going to be able to hold onto his prized asset but to sell him without already landing a replacement is dangerous business. things aren’t looking good for Wigan Athletic and this season will undoubtedly be their biggest test. Avoiding the drop could be as good as it gets for those at the JJB this year.

While Wigan seem to be on a slippery slope and heading down, the arrival of Allardyce at Newcastle has turned their fortunes around. Having already brought in a host of top players, he has secured the signature of a reported Liverpool and Man City target. Villareal’s Enrique (who will be called Ted, see above) is likely to arrive for £4.2 million after talks over the past 24 hours have proved fruitful. Sam is excited about the capture and described Ted as a player with huge potential and at a good age. He has been described on some Spanish websites as the best left-back in Spain so surely Newcastles defensive frailties are a thing of the past.

Also on the move is Hearts ‘Keeper, Craig Gordon. He is reported to be weighing up offers from both Aston Villa and Sunderland. Thefc100 tipped Villa to sign the keeper over the summer a few months back: (http://thefc100.wordpress.com/2007/05/27/new-horizons-at-villa-park/) While Sunderland are the club who have been courting Gordon all summer. It looks set to come down to a decision between mild and gentle Martin O’ Neill or Fire and Brimstone Roy Keane. The question remains, does Craig Gordon prefer Fairy Liquid or Hell? Sunderland are also rumoured to be attempting to lure Spurs misfit Mido to the Stadium of Light with a £9 million bid. This could prove another dangerous signing for Keano as most of his signings this summer and his Championship squad look to be severely tested by seasoned veterans of England’s top-flight.

Carlos Tevez for Alan Smith with a few quid in the bank? Sounds fair enough to us really. Alex, you sly dog you. You wily fox. Alex Ferguson will probably outlive us all. Carlos Tevez is the piece of the puzzle that we awaited with baited breath, only for legal mumbo-jumbo to slow the process down. Seems United have got their man though, and now have a team seriously capable of challenging for the Champions League as well as retaining the Premiership.
Poor old ‘Smudge’ though. Comes back from a sickening injury, scores a few cracking goals, looks back to his best, is quoted saying he’s thrilled that he’ll be offered an attacking role for the upcoming season. Then United started buying players left right and centre, and Saha’s injury meant he’d be sticking around, so Smithy was on the way out. Newcastle now have a strikeforce that could see a return to the Keegan days of ‘doesn’t matter how many we concede, we just have to score more’. Expect a few 4-3 thrillers at St.James’s this season. Smith joins Owen, Viduka, Martins and Ameobi. Exciting times for the Geordies.
Meanwhile Ferguson expressed his delight at Tevez’ attitude in training today. Scholes, Nani, Ronaldo, Hargreaves, Anderson and Tevez. Or Carrick. Or Giggs. Or Saha. United have cemented their favourites tag, they’re the team to beat folks……

To kick off our top five series, we’ve gone for a reasonably straightforward title (or so we thought!) :

Top 5 Premiership Goalkeepers:

(5) : David James, Portsmouth.

Say what you want about the big man, but his form last season alone proved that as he has got older he has matured from the man who used to come charging from his penalty area on regular occasions (generally in vain), to the man who broke the record for Premiership clean sheets last season, previously held by David Seaman. The 36-year-old signed a new two year deal with the option of a third season in May, which shows he is not intending to quit anytime soon. James’ impressive physique may see him play on into his forties and last season saw the former England keeper in the best of form so there’s no reason to think he can’t play at the highest level for a long time to come. Shot-stopping has always been James’s forte, and he is one of those larger than life characters who tends to lead from the back. However, his ability at claiming crosses, particularly from set-pieces has seen him ridiculed as ‘calamity James’ in the past, and those ridiculous haircuts mean he can’t expect to get any higher than fifth in this top 5.

(4) : Jose Reina, Liverpool:

While many may have expected Reina to be higher on the list, the Spaniard’s high profile mistakes in the last year have meant the jury is still out on his abilities, although Reina did begin to produce far more consistent form in the second half of the season. The Spaniard has possibly the best distribution from a keeper in the Premiership and has no equal when it comes to saving penalties as he demonstrated in high pressure games against West Ham and Chelsea. However while no-one can deny his ability as a shot stopper, Reina has suffered from mistakes on the biggest stage including his performance against West Ham in the FA Cup Final of 2006 (although he made amends in the resulting shoot-out) as well as vital games against Manchester United and Everton. Like James, Reina has kept a huge number of clean sheets in his first two seasons at Anfield and is clearly trusted implicitly by Rafael Benitez. 29 clean sheets in his first 50 games for Liverpool proves the ability he brings to the table for Liverpool, however Reina will need to cut out the errors and improve on his set-piece defence to become the top keeper that he has the potential to be.

(3) :  Shay Given, Newcastle.

The Irish international has been an incredibly loyal servant to Newcastle since arriving in July of 1997. As he approaches the tenth year of his Newcastle career, Given could be forgiven (had to, no choice!) for thinking about what could have been. Having rejected the advances of Arsenal amongst others during his time at St James Park, the talented shot-stopper has failed to win the silverware that his performances have deserved. An injury-hit season last year masks the fact that Given has been a regular on the team sheet for years now, often deployed behind appalling defences, indeed Roy Keane criticised his former international colleague last year for playing too much for his country. For Newcastle fans, the question is where would the club be had Given not been in goal for the past decade? Player of the season in 2001, a member of the PFA Premiership Team of the Year in 2002 and 2006, was nominated for ’save of the decade’ in 2003 (V. Kevin Phillips in the derby against Sunderland in 2002), and has over 400 appearances for club as well as 74 caps for Ireland. Given has been a magnificent and consistent keeper for many years now and may see the arrival of Sam Allardyce plus new signings Tal Ben Haim, (replacing Titus Bramble, every keeper’s favourite defender) Joey Barton and Mark Viduka as evidence of a squad growing and possibly being able to challenge for major honours in the years to come.

(2) : Edwin van der Sar, Manchester United.

Manchester United’s struggle to fill the void left by Peter Schmeichel’s departure ended in 2005 when the giant Dutchman was brought in from Fulham to provide stability to an error-prone United defence. Van der Sar had already scooped major honours with former club Ajax whom he won the Uefa Cup and Champions League with as well as four league titles. Having moved to Juventus, Gianluigi Buffon’s record-breaking signing meant the Dutchman had to look elsewhere for guaranteed first team football and Fulham pulled off a coup when they brought him to Craven Cottage in 2001. While establishing himself as a terrific Premiersip keeper there, it became clear when he signed for United that Alex Ferguson had brought in a hugely reliable keeper and Van der Sar proved it when he was named in the PFA Premiership Team of the year last year as United marched their way to the Premiersip title. Having won the Carling Cup the previous season, Van der Sar added the league to his collection with a number of match-winning performances, including the vital penalty save from Darius Vassell in the Manchester Derby which set United on their way to reclaiming the title. His abilities are numerous, but it is perhaps his presence alone which is of greatest benefit to United. At 6″5, Van der Sar rarely goes missing in the penalty area but has still shown an amazing ability to get down quickly and pull of terrific reflex saves. His distribution of the ball is also impressive and aids United’s quick counter-attacking style when Ronaldo and Rooney can receive the ball so quickly and turn defensive situations to their advantage. However a number of blunders in games late on in the previous season have led many to believe he will be replaced as numbr one by Ben Foster this coming season. Still, taking those mistakes into consideration, Van der Sar is well worthy of second place on this list.

(1) : Petr Cech, Chelsea.

Yep, fairly obvious numer one despite the top five being much harder to call then first expected. Cech is simply outstanding. 100% focussed, terrific shot-stopper, good in the air, good distribution, terrific reflexes, the Czech International never knows when he is beaten and few rival fans will begrudge him being described as the best keeperin the Premiership since his arrival from Rennes three seasons ago. Cech has kept Carlo Cudicini to a minimal role at the club since his arrival, some achievement given that Cudicini would walk into most Premiership teams. Rival keepers such as Real Madrid’s Iker Casillas have described him as being as close to perfect as you can get. A huge presence for club and country, a serious injury last year ruled him out for three months and Chelsea suffered as a result. That he is back speaks volumes for his commitment to football and his team. Named in the all-star squad for the 2004 European Championships, the Czech Republic are significantly impeded when he is not in the lineup and are lucky to have one of the best keepers in the world today. Cech broke numerous records in his first season at Chelsea: fewest goals conceded, most clean sheets, longest run without conceding a goal at 1,024 minutes. Back to back Premiership titles as well as an FA Cup and Carling Cup winner, Cech has claimed his place as the number one keeper around and continues to amaze with his reflexes in goal. Opposition teams complain that it takes something truly special to beat the Czech and Chelsea have conceded just 61 Premiership goals in the three seasons Cech has been at the club with more coming last season during his lengthy lay-off than the previous two seasons. An outstanding competitor with the ability to be Chelsea’s number one for the next decade at least as he is still only 25!

Disagree?? Friedel, Jaaskelainen, Howard should have been in there? David James in the top 5? Feel free to comment…..