Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Portsmouth Ink Ghana Midfielder Sulley Muntari

The 22-year old Ghanian international has signed a five-year deal to play on the South Coast. Muntari leaves Udinese, a Serie A squad, to join a talented midfield at Portsmouth (O'Neil, Taylor at times, Mendes, Davis, and Kranjcar). He's collected 26 caps for Ghana despite his young age and is earning his playing time with 8 goals already, including one against the Czech Republic in the World Cup last year. Terms of the deal were undisclosed, but Harry Redknapp looks to have a fairly significant amount of money in the transfer kitty as he attempts to manage his team into European competition next season, with 3 player acquisitions already.


For complete details, see the club's official press release: http://www.pompeyfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/News/NewsDetail/0,,10396~1030887,00.html?ptvParm=

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

England vs. Brazil, Estonia

The biggest headline surrounding these two games involves the recall of David Beckham by England manager Steve McLaren. He has 94 caps in his international career and 6 more would give him 100, considered to be a revered milestone amongst players. Beckham obviously would love to reach 100 but if he does so, it won't be as the England captain. After the World Cup exit at the hands of Portugal, he stepped down and new, embattled manager Steve McLaren has appointed John Terry to wear the armband with Steven Gerrard as vice-captain. Beckham figures to start against Brazil on June 1 (3 PM ET, FSC) in the international friendly at Wembley and again at Estonia on June 6, with his chances even more promising now that Aaron Lennon has withdrawn from those games due to a knee injury. Lennon limped off the field after just 10 minutes in the English "B" game against Albania (England won the game 3-1, led by goals from Stewart Downing and Michael Owen). England also will not have the services of Wayne Rooney, who is suspended for the Estonia match and thus was also left off the squad for the Brazil friendly, and defenders Rio Ferdinand (Manchester Utd.) and Michael Dawson (Spurs), who recently pulled out of the team. Already missing Jonathan Woodgate, Gary Neville, Micah Richards, and Ashley Cole as well, the door is opened for either Liverpool's Jamie Carragher or Tottenham's Ledley King to get a couple starts. Steve McLaren is missing 6 talented defenders and a brilliant young striker for games which could be crucial to his future as England manager. The friendly against Brazil is more for international respect but the game against Estonia is absolutely essential to win, so we'll see what happens.

England desperately needs a win against Estonia if they hope to qualify for Euro 2008. With just 6 games left on their qualifying schedule, England is sitting in third place in Group E (only the top 2 teams in each group qualify automatically) and have played one more game than Russia, who is in fourth place but is tied on points with 11.
Group Standings:
1. Croatia (13 points, +11 Goal Differential, 5 Games Played)
2. Israel (11 points, +7 GD, 6 GP)
3. England (11 points, +7 GD, 6 GP)
4. Russia (11 points, +6 GD, 5 GP)
5. Macedonia (7 points, 0 GD, 6 GP)
6. Estonia (0 points, -10 GD, 5 GP)
7. Andorra (0 points, -21 GD, 5 GP)

England still has to go to Russia and play, which is a winnable game, but brillant Dutch coach Guus Hiddink now is the Russian manager and he will surely have his team prepared. Russia could very well take all 3 points from that game if England comes out and doesn't play at a high level; I can see that game being a draw. England does benefit, however, from a favorable schedule that sees them play three games in a row at home after the game at Estonia (Sept. 8 vs. Israel, Sept. 12 vs. Russia, and Oct. 13 vs. Estonia) and 3 wins would vastly improve their position.

Monday, May 28, 2007

Derby County On To the Premiership

In a game that was not as up-and-down or exciting to watch as advertised, Derby County made a 61st minute goal by Stephen Pearson stand up and held on for a 1-0 victory over West Bromwich Albion. Talented English youngster Giles Barnes, who surprisingly did not start today, came off the bench and provided a brilliant low cross to allow Pearson to literally slide the ball home. It was Pearson's first goal in a Derby uniform and you can't imagine how much it meant for his side and for the fans who had longed to see Derby back in the Premiership.

Graham Poll handed out 8 yellow cards in total today (5 to Derby, 3 to West Brom), though a few of them were questionable; I'm not sure if they merited a yellow card but Poll is one of the better referees in England in my opinion so I trust his judgment. Poll has stated that he will retire, and many managers will be happy to see him go as he been the center of many a controversy over the years, most notably the World Cup game in 2006 between Australia and Croatia where he handed out three yellow cards to the same Croatian player before dismissing him.

Great crowd at Wembley today. The new stadium can hold 90,000 for soccer and the official attendance was 74,993, which is great for a Championship final, considering neither team is based near London.

Congratulations to the Rams, it's back to England's top flight for them next season after a five-year absence.

Stephen Pearson's goal can be found here: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x23y91_10-pearson

Robbie Keane Signs Contract Extension

The 26-year old Irish striker has signed a new five-year contract with
Tottenham, keeping him at the North London club through 2012. Since making the move to Tottenham from Leeds in August 2002 Keane has scored 84 goals in 200 appearances. He is an integral part of one of the most intimidating front lines in the EPL (Keane, Berbatov, Defoe) and this long-term deal is great news for the club's supporters as he is a fan favorite there.

For more information, see the club's official press release: http://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/news/articles/keanecommitment.html

Saturday, May 26, 2007

New Jerseys for 2007-2008

Several teams have made changes to their uniforms for the upcoming Premiership and Football League season. Here, we'll take a brief glance at some new jerseys and I'll offer my opinions; yours are always welcome as well.

Some teams have scheduled their uniform release date for later on in the summer, though all of these dates are subject to change by the team:
Arsenal (July 7-home, August 7-away)
Chelsea (July 7-away, August 7-third)
Everton (July 12-away, September 6-third)
Liverpool (July 20-"European change")
Manchester City (August 7-away)
Manchester United (July 7-home, August 7-away)
Wigan (June 14-home, August 2-away, September 6-third)
Dates courtesy of: eplleague.blogspot.com

Blackburn Rovers unveiled two new jerseys for next season around the beginning of May. They were apparently voted on by the club's fans (I'd like to know why fans would vote for that away jersey, but I digress). The solid red away Blackburn wore last year was much more conservative, but the home jersey looks very similar. The 2007-2008 editions are a bit curvier and remind me of the jerseys which Adidas makes for the MLS teams, though Lonsdale is Blackburn's manufacturer again for next season.
Jersey designer-Lonsdale

Newcastle have released a new home jersey which they will wear up through 2009. It also looks fairly similar to last year's jersey; black and white stripes are the focal point. This is a very sleek-looking jersey, and Newcastle are marking the new era under Sam Allardyce in style.
Jersey designer-Adidas


The runners-up in the Championship intend to show up well-dressed when they make their return to the Premiership next season. Birmingham City will march into St. Andrews with a new home jersey, and hopefully for them, Steve Bruce (aka Jay Leno) will be able to solidify that club as a Premiership team to stay.
This jersey is not bad looking, but I would've liked to see a bit more blue in the middle and less white.
Jersey designer-Umbro



Liverpool's new black third jersey, worn here by John Arne Riise, is my personal favorite of all the new jerseys that have been released. I like this jersey far more than I liked the yellow one Liverpool wore this season during some away Premiership and away Champions League games, don't you agree? Adidas is also running a new campaign (http://www.adidas.com/campaigns/liverpool/content/liverpool.asp?adidas_cc=com&lfcprmid=18448104ool.asp?adidas_cc=com&lfcprmid=18448104)) that has a countdown clock which will supposedly reveal Liverpool's new away jersey on May 30, however, it's widely rumored that this jersey is white with red trim and images of it have already been leaked. Steven Gerrard is pictured modeling it to the right in fact. Well-kept secret, huh?
Jersey designers-Adidas








New Jerseys for 2007-2008 (Continued)

As noted at eplleague.blogspot.com today (May 26), the champions of the Championship, Sunderland, have released their latest away jersey. The club's logo is found at the upper right of the picture (the model's upper left), and the jersey keeps with Sunderland's traditional colors, as it should.

Jersey designer-Umbro



Manchester City unveiled their new home jersey about two weeks ago (May 14). Again, the team's logo is prominently displayed though the ThomasCook.com is a bit too large and takes away from the overall aesthetics of the shirt. New York Yankees-style pinstripes are included as well, which is a nice touch. Manchester City have a classy new home jersey for next season, but can they manage to score more than 10 goals in it? We'll see.
Jersey designer-Le Coq Sportif

Everton introduced their new home jersey on the team's official website on May 3. This jersey is a bit more traditional than the two mentioned above in terms of its similarities to last year's edition, but a hint of yellow around the collar is something the club did not have on their home jerseys for the '06-'07 season. It also appears to be a darker shade of blue; and the reason for this change is unclear. All the logos (Umbro, Chang, and Everton's) are located in the same place, and this jersey is not a dramatic change from last year's.
Jersey designer-Umbro

Tottenham unleashed their own version of the rainbow on May 12, with four new jerseys scheduled to debut in 2007: White (home), Yellow (away, and hideous), Dark Blue (third jersey), and Half-White, Half-Light Blue (125th anniversary shirt). Are four jerseys really necessary? There is most likely a color which every fan likes, but four jerseys seems a bit much.
Jersey designer-Puma

Friday, May 25, 2007

Notable Summer Transfers at a Glance

  • Julio Baptista (from Arsenal to Real Madrid; Loan Recall)
  • Juan Pablo Angel (from Aston Villa to Red Bull New York; Undisclosed)
  • Jlloyd Samuel (from Aston Villa to Bolton; Free Transfer)
  • Steve Sidwell (from Reading to Chelsea; Undisclosed)
  • Florent Sinama Pongolle (from Liverpool to Recreativo Huelva; $5.3 million)
  • Sylvain Distin (from Manchester City to Portsmouth; Free Transfer)
  • Owen Hargreaves (from Bayern Munich to Manchester United; $34 million)
  • Jonathan Woodgate (from Real Madrid to Middlesbrough; $13.9 million)
  • Abel Xavier (from Middlesbrough to LA Galaxy; Undisclosed)
  • Hermann Hreidarsson (from Charlton Athletic to Portsmouth; Free Transfer)
  • Gareth Bale (from Southampton to Tottenham Hotspur; $10 million, with further additional payments that could end up totaling $20 million US)
  • Lukasz Fabianski (from Legia Warsaw to Arsenal; Undisclosed)
  • Sulley Muntari (from Udinese to Portsmouth; Undisclosed)
  • Anderson (from FC Porto to Manchester United; Undisclosed)
  • Nani (from Sporting Lisbon to Manchester United; Undisclosed)
  • Claudio Pizarro (from Bayern Munich to Chelsea; $5.1 million)
  • Titus Bramble (No Club to Wigan; Free Transfer)
  • Antoine Sibierski (No Club to Wigan; Free Transfer)
  • Mark Viduka (Middlesbrough to Newcastle; Undisclosed)
  • Joey Barton (Manchester City to Newcastle; $11.4 million)
  • Jeremie Aliadiere (Arsenal to Middlesbrough; Undisclosed)
  • Scott Parker (Newcastle to West Ham; $13.9 million)
  • Tal Ben Haim (Bolton to Chelsea; Free)
  • Thierry Henry (Arsenal to FC Barcelona; $32 million)
  • Maceo Rigters (NAC Breda to Blackburn; Undisclosed)
  • Geremi (Chelsea to Newcastle; Free Transfer)
  • Luis Garcia (Liverpool to Atletico Madrid; Undisclosed)
  • Fernando Torres (Atletico Madrid to Liverpool; $40.6 million)


•Nigel Reo-Coker (West Ham to Aston Villa; $17 million)
•Phil Jagielka (Sheffield United to Everton; $8 million)
•Boudewijn Zenden (Liverpool to Marseille; Free Transfer)
•Steven Davis (Aston Villa to Fulham; $8 million)
•Andriy Voronin (Bayer Leverkusen to Liverpool; Free Transfer)
•Greg Halford (Reading to Sunderland; $5.9 million)
•Younes Kaboul (Auxerre FC to Tottenham; $16 million)
•Teddy Sheringham (West Ham to Colchester United; Undisclosed)
•Craig Beattie (Celtic to West Bromwich Albion; $2.5 million)
•Darren Bent (Charlton Athletic to Tottenham; $33.1 million)
•Neil Lennon (Celtic to Nottingham Forest; Undisclosed)
•Craig Bellamy (Liverpool to West Ham; $15 million)
•Jason Koumas (West Bromwich Albion to Wigan Athletic; $10.6 million)
•David Nugent (Preston North End to Portsmouth; $12 million)
•Yossi Benayoun (West Ham to Liverpool; Undisclosed)
•Trevor Sinclair (Manchester City to Cardiff; Free Transfer)
•Ryan Babel (Ajax to Liverpool; $23 million)
•David Healy (Leeds United to Fulham; $3 million)
•Rolando Bianchi (Reggina to Manchester City; $16.5 million)
•Gelson Fernandes (FC Sion to Manchester City; Undisclosed)
•Marlon Harewood (West Ham to Aston Villa; $7.1 million)
•Kieran Richardson (Manchester United to Sunderland; $11 million)
•Robbie Fowler (Liverpool to Cardiff City; Free Transfer)
•Jerzy Dudek (Liverpool to Real Madrid; Free Transfer)
•Heidar Helguson (Fulham to Bolton; Undisclosed)
•Freddie Ljungberg (Arsenal to West Ham; Undisclosed, fee could rise to $6.2 million)
•Martin Petrov (Atletico Madrid to Manchester City; $9.4 million)
•Alan Smith (Manchester United to Newcastle; $12 million)
•Leighton Baines (Wigan Athletic to Everton; Undisclosed)
•James Beattie (Everton to Sheffield United; $8 million)
•Cacapa (Lyon to Newcastle; Free Transfer)
•Franck Quedrue (Fulham to Birmingham City; $4 million)
•Liam Ridgewell (Aston Villa to Birmingham City; $4 million)
•Elano (Shakhtar Donetsk to Manchester City; $16 million)
•Giuseppe Rossi (Manchester United to Villarreal; Undisclosed)
•Johan Djourou (Arsenal to Birmingham; Loan)
•Francis Jeffers (Blackburn to Sheffield Wednesday; Undisclosed)
•Hameur Bouazza (Watford to Fulham; Undisclosed)
•Craig Gordon (Hearts to Sunderland; $14 million with additional fees that could bring the total to $18 million)
•James Morrison (Middlesbrough to West Bromwich Albion; $3 million)
•Scott Carson (Liverpool to Aston Villa; Loan)


Obviously more transfers will occur as the summer transfer window heats up; this post will be regularly updated with other newsworthy names changing clubs.

All transfers listed here have been confirmed. Fox Soccer's website is a great source for rumors and pending transfers, but this site will only list those that have been cemented.

Coca-Cola Championship

This Monday, May 28 (Memorial Day here in the US), West Bromwich Albion and Derby County will square off to determine the third team to join Birmingham City and Sunderland in the Premiership next season. Beautiful new Wembley Stadium in London will host this game, which is sure to be hotly contested as two Midlands rivals clash for the third time this season.

The two teams split their two games earlier this season; each squad won on their own home ground. These meetings took place much earlier in the season (Nov. 4 and Dec. 2) however, and I have a feeling this third game will be the best one of them all considering the stakes.

The game will be televised at 9 AM on Setanta and is a must-watch for true soccer fans. Games in the Championship are often very high-paced, up and down affairs and so this should be a good 90 minutes of action.

Personally, I'm tabbing West Brom to win this game, as they've been on solid form lately (4 wins in a row). A Derby win would not surprise me in the least because these types of games are always unpredictable, so it should be a great game to sit down and enjoy this Monday.

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Champions League Final

Congratulations to AC Milan on winning the 7th UEFA Champions League title in the Italian club's storied history today. Milan beat Liverpool 2-1 in Athens this afternoon by way of two goals from Filippo Inzaghi, one right before halftime (45th minute), and held on after Dirk Kuyt pulled one back late (89th minute) for Liverpool off a header.

Jermaine Pennant gave the veteran Rossoneri defense fits today and was clearly the most outstanding Liverpool player on the OACA Spyro Louis Stadium pitch. He excelled in Rafael Benitez's 4-5-1 scheme on the flank and consistently ran at Milan's defenders, providing the Reds with great energy and a bit of dash into an otherwise uninspired performance.

Filippo Inzaghi's two goals handed him Man of the Match honors, and it was fitting that a player who was forced to miss the memorable comeback by Liverpool in 2005 would play in this rematch and be the difference. Inzaghi deflected an Andrea Pirlo free kick in immediately before the stroke of halftime and then clinically finished a sublime pass from Kaka to put his team up 2-0. Kuyt scored for Liverpool to make stoppage time interesting, but AC Milan held out and survived to win the game. Liverpool did appear to get jipped out of at least a minute of injury time however, as the referee blew his whistle 30 seconds before the allotted 3 minutes and Milan made substitutions during that time as well..

With the win, Milan avenged their heartbreaking penalty kick loss to Liverpool in the Champions League Final two seasons ago and locked up their 7th European club title, putting them just 2 behind Real Madrid for the most in European history.