A Trio of Six-Pointers

Things have been pretty busy in the soccer world recently at least as far as this site goes, what with the African Cup of Nations in full swing and the FA Cup 4th Round ties and 5th Round draw over the past few days.

Let’s not forget the bread and butter though. Premier League action heats up again with a round of midweek games, starting with four tomorrow and then five on Wednesday. Three of tomorrow’s matches are extremely, extremely important and so I wanted to give you a brief preview of what to watch for. These games are the definition of the term “six-pointers”, as each of the six teams involved are in the relegation fight and could either go three points closer to safety or three more points behind the teams they’re chasing in the battle to remain in the Premier League.

Middlesbrough (13th; 22 pts) vs. Wigan (17th; 20 pts):

This will be game #1 of the post-Jonathan Woodgate era at Middlesbrough. Say what you like about Woodgate and how injury-prone he is, but he’s a quality center-back and his presence will sorely be missed at the Riverside, especially as Boro have already conceded 37 goals this season. They’ve won just once in their last six league matches and only twice at home all season. Both Tuncay Sanli and Gary O’Neil should return to the lineup, however, and that will be a boost to Gareth Southgate’s club.

Marlon King should be set to make his debut for Wigan after recently joining the Lancashire side from Watford. King is a serviceable striker who will help Wigan up front; they’ve scored only 23 goals in as many matches this season. They’ve won just once away from the JJB this year but have earned points in five out of their last seven league games, including their sole road win at Derby. As a sidenote, this will be Wigan’s 100th match in the Premier League.

Bolton (15th; 21 pts) vs. Fulham (19th; 15 pts):

Out of the six clubs I’ve highlighted today, I think these two need a victory the most.

Bolton lack any type of scoring punch now that Nicolas Anelka has continued his nomadic ways and moved to Chelsea, and the likely signing of Aston Villa central defender Gary Cahill doesn’t address that need whatsoever. The Trotters have won just twice in their last seven league games and those wins came against Derby and Birmingham. El-Hadji Diouf and Abdoulaye Meite are both away due to African Cup of Nations duty and that doesn’t help matters at all.

One thing that does work in Bolton’s favor, however, is Fulham’s awful road form. Bolton have been solid at home this season (5-3-4) and Fulham have picked up only four points in eleven away league matches so far (0-4-7). The Cottagers actually hadn’t won away from home in the 2007 calendar year either, so Bolton should have the advantage tomorrow in that regard. Fulham will need Clint Dempsey to have a good game tomorrow if they have any hope of gaining a much-needed three points.

Sunderland (18th; 20 pts) vs. Birmingham City (16th; 20 pts):

Sunderland will head into tomorrow’s match with a much-weakened side as Michael Chopra, Danny Higginbotham, Grant Leadbitter, Ross Wallace, Kieran Richardson, Carlos Edwards, and Dickson Etuhu will all be out and each of those players has had an appreciable role with the club this season. The Black Cats have shown improvement recently with two wins in their last five league matches, including the dominant 2-0 win against Portsmouth at the Stadium of Light on January 13. Kenwyne Jones is capable of scoring every time he walks onto the field and Birmingham will likely have trouble containing him in the air.

The Blues have the most away wins (2) out of any team in the bottom seven in the Premiership and will likely hand James McFadden his first start since his recent move from Everton. Mauro Zarate has joined the club on loan as well and trust me, this kid is a star in the making. He scored the winning goal for the Argentine U-20 team in the final of last summer’s FIFA U-20 World Cup against the Czech Republic, and was the co-top scorer in the Argentine Apertura in 2006-2007 with 12 goals. Birmingham are healthy and will have every opportunity to steal a victory on the road, although they’ll have to earn it as Sunderland are 5-3-3 on home turf this season.

Barack Obama is a West Ham Fan

Have you all seen the article on the Telegraph's website "revealing" that Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama is a West Ham supporter?

I'm not sure what to make of this. Reports state that ever since Obama went on a trip to England five years ago, the Illinois senator has been a fan of the Claret and Blue and that he watches Premiership matches whenever he can with his busy schedule.

Of course, Bill and Hillary Clinton are supposedly huge Manchester United fans as well. They're also fans of the New York Giants as Bill recently said while speaking to an elementary school. Curious that New York has more electoral votes than Massachusetts, the home state of the New England Patriots, the Giants' opponent in the Super Bowl. Curious also that the Clintons seem to enjoy jumping on the bandwagons of successful teams.

Anyway, back to Obama. What do you guys think, is he a true Hammers fan?

FA Cup 5th Round Draw Revealed

The draw for the 5th Round of the FA Cup was conducted at 8:30 Eastern Time this morning and I have to say, there are some very interesting ties that will be worth watching.

Here's the complete draw (Premiership teams are in bold, home teams are listed first):

Bristol Rovers v Southampton
Cardiff City v Wolverhampton Wanderers
Sheffield United v Middlesbrough
Liverpool v Barnsley
Manchester United v Arsenal
Preston North End v Portsmouth
Coventry City v West Bromwich Albion
Chelsea v Huddersfield Town

If you're a fan of lower-league soccer, this is a mixed bag. Huddersfield Town and Bristol Rovers (both in League One) are the lowest-ranked teams left at this stage, and while the former has no chance to advance, Bristol Rovers could very well pull off an upset. You're guaranteed to see either Cardiff or Wolves move on and either Coventry or West Brom as well. Other than that, the pickings are slim.

I don't think I'm going out any real limb in predicting that Sheffield United will beat Middlesbrough at Brammall Lane. I know they're only in 14th place right now in the Championship, but this is a team that has already beaten Bolton and Manchester City in the FA Cup this year and Middlesbrough are struggling in the Premier League and could be without Jonathan Woodgate as well. If all else fails, maybe someone at Sheffield United can steal some more money from the visiting team's locker room.

Liverpool have been lucky enough to draw lower-league sides in both of their previous FA Cup ties and the trend continues in this round as the Reds will host Barnsley, who currently occupy 16th place in the Championship.

David Nugent will make his return to Preston as his current club, Portsmouth, heads to the North West and Deepdale. Preston are really struggling this year without Nugent (22nd in the Championship) but both they and their fans will really be up for this game, particularly if Nugent is playing.

Undoubtedly, the tie of the round is Manchester United-Arsenal, although it will be interesting to see what sort of team Arsene Wenger trots out at Old Trafford. Will he go with the kids as he does in most cup games, or will he go with a more traditional side since this is a big, big matchup? We'll see.

African Cup of Nations Recap--Day 8

Manchester United are looking smarter and smarter for their interest in Manucho as the Angolan striker scored twice in seventeen minutes in the second half to propel his country to a come-from-behind 3-1 win yesterday over Senegal.

Manucho now has three goals in two games in this edition of the African Cup of Nations, Angola has four points and is sitting in the driver's seat to qualification for the quarterfinals, and Senegal is without their head coach as he resigned after the loss. The Lions of Teranga are in big trouble and it looks unlikely that they'll advance even though they have a roster full of quality players who make their living overseas, including six players in the Premiership who appeared in yesterday's game. One of those players, Newcastle's Abdoulaye Meite, put Senegal ahead after just 20 minutes, but after a first half in which they were dominated, Angola came out in the second half and simply took it to their opponents.

The other game yesterday also ended with a 3-1 score as a more experienced Tunisia side beat the 2010 World Cup hosts, South Africa. Francileudo Santos scored twice in the first half and The Eagles of Carthage took a 3-0 lead into the break. South Africa only avoided a clean sheet with an 87th minute goal and didn't even deserve that with their sloppy play all game long. Tunisia's lineup included two Birmingham City players, Radhi Jaidi and Mehdi Nafti, and South Africa started both Steven Pienaar and Aaron Mokoena once again. Their hopes of advancing to the next round are likely over, and Tunisia can seal the deal with a draw or win against Angola in the last group match.

Group D Standings (after two games):

1. Tunisia (4 points, +2 goal differential)
2. Angola (4 pts, +2 GD)
3. Senegal (1 pt, -2 GD)
4. South Africa (1 pt, -2 GD)

Group A is back in action today as they'll wrap up their part in this stage of the tournament. The Ghana-Morocco match is huge as Morocco will likely need to beat Ghana to advance to the quarterfinals because they're currently tied on points (3) with Guinea, who have the huge advantage of playing lightweights Namibia. If both Morocco and Guinea draw, Morocco would advance due to a better goal differential.

Adding Insult to Injury

ESPNsoccernet is reporting that a significant amount of money--believed to be in the region of $3,000-$4,000 US--was stolen right out of wallets from the Manchester City dressing room at some point during the afternoon today. City occupied the visitors' changing room as they were in Sheffield to take on Sheffield United in the 4th Round of the FA Cup, a game in which they surprisingly lost 2-1.

"A number of staff and players have had a quantity of cash stolen," City spokesman Paul Tyrrell told Sky Sports News.

"I am not aware that the dressing room was locked and the police are looking in it."

Wow. If this is the case, Sheffield United has to be at fault. There's no excuse for not locking the doors to the locker room and prohibiting access to everything inside.

Then again, what were City's players and staff doing with that much money?? They were the visiting team and probably were heading back to Manchester directly after the match; I'm not sure why they were carrying any considerable amount of money in the first place.

City aren't exactly setting the world alight right now with their recent form. This is a team that has won a grand total of three matches in their last thirteen played in all competitions. They're fading in the race for fourth place in the Premiership and with today's loss are now out of both domestic cup competitions. The last thing their players and staff are thinking about at the moment is the money in their wallets, especially when it's inside a place that should be safe and off-limits to anyone but team personnel, and somehow even that is now missing.

After a trip to Derby next week, City have the displeasure of playing Manchester United, Arsenal, and Everton in their three league games in February.

Could it get any worse?

FA Cup 5th Round Draw

The draw for the fifth round of the 2007-2008 edition of the world's oldest domestic cup competition will take place tomorrow, and the eight ties are scheduled to be played on February 16 and 17.

None of the fourth round ties need replays as they all were decided this weekend. Coca-Cola League One sides Huddersfield Town and Bristol Rovers are amongst the last 16 teams in the competition, as are several Championship squads and each of the Premiership's "Big Four".

Full coverage of the draw can be found here tomorrow; check back during the morning for more updates.

African Cup of Nations Recap--Day 7

Samuel Eto'o converted a PK in the 66th minute to draw even with Ivory Coast legend Laurent Pokou for most goals scored (14) in the African Cup of Nations finals and Joseph Job bagged a brace to propel Cameroon over Zambia 5-1 yesterday. This was a game Cameroon absolutely needed to win after their opening loss to Egypt and the Indomitable Lions took care of business. Only a 90th minute goal from Christopeher Katongo prevented Zambia from being shut out. Newcastle midfielder Geremi scored the opening goal for Cameroon and after coming on as a substitute in that game against Egypt, Arsenal starlet Alexandre Song played the full 90 minutes yesterday.

Egypt all but guaranteed their place in the quarterfinals with a 3-0 win over Sudan, a game in which the defending champions had to work a little harder than the flattering scoreline might indicate. Second half substitute Mohamed Aboutriaka scored twice in five minutes late in the game to put the match away for the Pharaohs, but Sudan started out like a house on fire and Egypt did well to survive the rush and come out with the victory. Once again, Middlesbrough midfielder Mohamed Shawky played the entire game for Egypt.

Cameroon will play Sudan to wrap up the group stage and Egypt will take on Zambia, and it doesn't take a genius to predict that the favorites will most likely win those games. If that holds true, Egypt will win Group C and Cameroon would be the runner-up.

Group C Standings (after two games):

1. Egypt (6 points, +5 goal differential)
2. Cameroon (3 pts, +2 GD)
3. Zambia (3 pts, -1 GD)
4. Sudan (0 pts, -6 GD)

Today's games could be very interesting as Group D is in action. All four teams in the group are even right now with a point each and to me, this is the most evenly matched group in the tournament, by far. Senegal and Angola will meet although interestingly enough, it was Angola who was one of Africa's representatives in the last World Cup, not Senegal; and Tunisia will play the hosts of the 2010 World Cup, South Africa.

False Alarm

Yossi Benayoun's natural hat trick propelled Liverpool from a 2-1 deficit to a 5-2 victory today in the 4th Round of the FA Cup.

Havant and Waterlooville jumped out to a 1-0 lead at Anfield after just eight minutes, and the Blue Square South side went back ahead 2-1 on a Martin Skrtel own goal just after the half-hour mark.

Benayoun then scored three in a row for Liverpool and Peter Crouch added an insurance tally in the 90th minute to put the game in the bag and send the Reds into the last 16 of the world's oldest and most prestigious cup competition.

Personally, I was hoping Havant and Waterlooville could pull off the stunner and win today. I wrote about how I believe changes need to be made at Liverpool just after their 2-2 draw against Aston Villa earlier in the week and to me, this is exactly the type of game that will hinder progress being made on Merseyside. Fans will look at the scoreline and say "Wow, five goals, our boys made it look easy out there" and proceed like nothing's wrong.

The reality of the situation is this. Liverpool were tied with a team full of part-timers at halftime. Yes, they ended up winning, but that's what they were supposed to do anyway and in impressive fashion. I know that the team Rafa put on the field wasn't exactly a full-strength lineup, but surely they're better than being outplayed by a team in Blue Square South for the first half?

Upset of the Century?

My goodness. Say what you like about it being the FA Cup and it not mattering much to teams in the Premier League, but we could be seeing history today if Havant and Waterlooville can nick a goal in the second half of their FA Cup 4th Round tie at Liverpool. The last time a non-league team beat a top-flight opponent was back in the 1988-1989 season when Sutton United shocked Coventry City.

As I type this, the score is 2-2 in the 48th minute and the part-timers from Blue Square South actually have led this game on two occasions. Liverpool isn't exactly playing a full-strength side but they do have Torres, Carragher, and Gerrard available off the bench and a couple of regular first-team players in Mascherano, Finnan, and Benayoun starting.

Havant and Waterlooville are making a tidy profit from this game which could cover operating costs for literally a season or two, if not longer, and if they can force a replay, that would be hugely lucrative as well.

I'll keep you posted with updates on this game.

African Cup of Nations Recap--Day 6

Ivory Coast became the first nation to punch their ticket to the quarterfinals of the 2008 African Cup of Nations today after a 4-1 romp over Benin, a game in which Benin needed a 90th minute goal to avoid a shutout and the Toure brothers combined on a nice goal for the winners.

Ivory Coast now need only a draw in their last group match against Mali to win Group B and the game against the runner-up in Group A that comes with it. My pre-tournament favorites are looking good so far and I'm going to stick with them until the very end. They're getting contributions from everywhere right now, not just up top and in the midfield, and I'm not convinced that anyone in this tournament can beat them with the possible exception of Ghana. Chelsea striker Didier Drogba is the captain ahead of some other worthy candidates like Arsenal's Kolo Toure and he scored the opening goal to start the ball rolling today for Ivory Coast.

Mali needed something out of today's game against Nigeria and they got the job done with a 0-0 draw. It was by no means pretty to watch, but if you're a Mali fan, you have to like the position your team is in now with just one group game to go. Yes, it's against Ivory Coast, but with both teams needing only a point to keep their respective places and advance, I can see Mali coming out with a share of the spoils because it suits both teams just fine. Mali was very, very unlucky to not win today's game as an 83rd minute left-footed drive by Seydou Keita came off the crossbar.

Nigeria now need to beat Benin in their last game and hope Ivory Coast beat Mali. The Super Eagles boast a pretty potent front line with Newcastle striker Obafemi Martins and Everton's Yakubu, but somehow have been held scoreless thus far in the tournament. I have no doubts they'll take care of Benin, but as I said before, a draw seems the most likely result in the Ivory Coast-Mali match.

Group B Standings (after two games):

1. Ivory Coast (6 points, +4 goal differential)
2. Mali (4 pts, +1 GD)
3. Nigeria (1 pt, -1 GD)
4. Benin (0 pts, -4 GD)

In tomorrow's action, wins by Zambia against Cameroon and by Egypt against Sudan can seal those countries' places in the last eight. Egypt should get the job done against Sudan with relative ease, but Zambia will really have their hands full with favored Cameroon.

African Cup of Nations Recap--Day 5

Ghana put themselves in a very strong position to win Group A and qualify for the quarterfinals of the 2008 African Cup of Nations with their 1-0 win over Namibia yesterday. The Black Stars aren't exactly winning with style right now, but they're getting the job done and former MLS star Junior Agogo's 41st minute tally from close range was all they needed to pick up the three points. Portsmouth midfielder Sulley Muntari's spectacular bicycle kick early in the game sailed straight into the hands of Namibia goalkeeper Attiel Mbaha. Ghana now need just a draw against Morocco in their last group stage game to seal a berth in the knockout stages, but could still move on with a loss depending on the result of the Guinea-Namibia match and Ghana's goal differential.

Yesterday's other game was a better one for the viewers as Guinea pulled off a 3-2 upset over Morocco. AS Saint-Etienne attacking midfielder and Guinea star Pascal Feindouno bagged a brace but was sent off as well in the 67th minute. Feindouno put Guinea ahead on a free kick after just 11 minutes, and then three goals in eight minutes (the first by Guinea, the second by a sensational strike from Morocco's Hicham Aboucherouane, the third a PK from Feindouno) busted the game wide open. Morocco pulled a goal back in the 90th minute, but by then it was too late to really impact the game.

Morocco really had their fate in their own hands and could've basically sealed the qualification deal if they would've won yesterday, which by all rights they were supposed to do. Instead, they'll face the daunting task of needing a result against Ghana in the last group game and it will likely have to be a victory because Guinea play the lightweights of the the group, Namibia. Morocco and Guinea are tied on points with 3 but Morocco's superior goal differential (+3; Guinea's is 0) could prove significant if both teams win their last game.

Group A Standings (after two games):

1. Ghana (6 points, +2 goal differential)
2. Morocco (3 pts, +3 GD)
3. Guinea (3 pts, 0 GD)
4. Namibia (0 pts, -5 GD)

Group B is in action today and wins by Ivory Coast and Mali would seal both nations' places in the last eight of the tournament. Ivory Coast play Benin and with no disrespect to Les Écureuils (The Squirrels), this game should simply be a matter of how much Ivory Coast will win by. Mali, on the other hand, have their hands full with Nigeria and to be honest, the only team that seems likely to win this game is Nigeria. A draw for Mali wouldn't be the worst result in the world but Nigeria could really use the three points after their opening loss to Ivory Coast.

African Cup of Nations Recap--Day 4

I'll tell you what, this year's edition of the African Cup of Nations is getting better and better. The quality of some of the goals scored has been absolutely fantastic and yesterday we saw more of the same.

The 2010 World Cup hosts, South Africa, earned a point out of nothing against Angola as substitute Elrio van Heerdeen blistered a long-range effort in the 87th minute to equalize the game at 1-1, where it would end. Manchester United's new signing, Manucho, scored for Angola about a half hour into the match. Steven Pienaar and Aaron Mokoena started for South Africa, who fielded a younger lineup in an effort to give some players big-match experience before the next World Cup.

Tunisia and Senegal played to a 2-2 draw and once again, a spectacular late goal was vital. Mejdi Traoui's drive into the top left corner in the 82nd minute gave Tunisia a share of the spoils and cancelled out what would have been a game-winning goal from Newcastle and Senegal striker Diomansy Kamara just 14 minutes earlier. Senegal's starting lineup featured Kamara, Abdoulaye Faye, El-Hadji Diouf, and Habib Beye, and Papa Bouba Diop and Henri Camara came on as substitutes. Birmingham defender Radhi Jaidi started for Tunisia as well, so we saw Premiership players aplenty in this game.

Group A is back in action today as Ghana take on minnows Namibia and Guinea play Morocco in a critical, critical game for 2nd place in the group.

Arrivederci, Rolando Bianchi

You all know my feelings towards Rolando Bianchi. After he came out in an interview with Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport back in late December and criticized all things English soccer, I wrote here about how selfish Bianchi is and how he should be on the next plane out of Manchester when the January transfer window opened. I took a lot of criticism for it but to be honest, my mind couldn't have been any more made up that Rolando Bianchi had worn out his welcome in Manchester and that interview sealed his fate at the Eastlands.

I'm glad to see the higher-ups there echo my sentiments as well, and they've shipped Bianchi to Lazio on loan with a permanent move back to Italy in the summer very likely. He had nothing positive to say about his club or soccer as a whole in England, and the fact of the matter is he wasn't producing on the field either; check the stats, you'll see what I mean.

Bianchi wanted to go back to Italy to boost his chances of playing for the national team, and he made no bones about it. I had no problem with that; every player has his individual ambitions and that's perfectly fine. As I said back in December however, it was the way he voiced his opinions that crossed the line. He made his club look bad by suggesting the team was full of alcoholics, and he had the audacity to criticize the refereeing in England when in fact, if I recall correctly, there was a major referee match-fixing scandal in his home country just a few years ago.

The bottom line is this: Bianchi didn't want to be in Manchester and City didn't want him there after that interview either, so they made a move to get rid of him and end any distractions he was bringing to the club. Both parties involved will benefit from this, particularly Manchester City, but I'm afraid Bianchi hasn't learned his lesson. City had no choice but to move him out; they could've punished him through fines or a demotion to the reserve team, but that would've just turned into an unnecessarily ugly situation. Bianchi, on the other hand, will go to Lazio and score his share of goals and maybe earn a spot on the Italian national team. Does that make him a better person and a better teammate? No chance.

African Cup of Nations Recap--Day 3

Yesterday's action in the African Cup of Nations involved Group C, and Egypt's 4-2 victory over Cameroon put the defending champions in a great position while Cameroon will now have to battle out of a hole to advance to the quarterfinals, which had to have been their minimum expectation before the tournament began.

This was a very interesting game in that three players, two for Egypt and one for Cameroon, scored two goals each. A brace from Samuel Eto'o wasn't enough for the
Indomitable Lions to overcome Egypt yesterday, who featured Middlesbrough midfielder Mohamed Shawky.

The second game of the day saw Zambia beat Sudan 3-0. That result all but eliminates Sudan but if Zambia can pull off an upset in either of their next two group matches, they'll likely advance to the next round and that would be a major coup for the south African side. A goal in the 2nd minute by James Chamanga really ended any suspense this game could have potentially had.

Once again, there are two games on tap for today with the key match being Tunisia-Senegal.

African Cup of Nations Recap--Day 2

The first important game of the 2008 African Cup of Nations took place yesterday and once again, a player who earns his paycheck in the Premiership took center stage. Chelsea striker Salomon Kalou capped a beautiful solo run by coolly slotting the ball past Nigerian goalkeeper Austin Ejide and into the net to give Ivory Coast a critical 1-0 victory. Les Éléphants now have a stranglehold on the group and barring an unforeseen collapse, will advance to the quarterfinals as the winner of Group A. Newcastle striker Obafemi Martins started for Nigeria, as did fellow Premiership players Yakubu, Kanu, John Utaka, Joseph Yobo, and John Obi Mikel, while Kolo Toure, Abdoulaye Meite, Didier Zokora, and Didier Drogba started for Ivory Coast. Martins had a decent shout for a penalty in the 33rd minute, but the referee instead booked him for diving.

Morocco coasted by Namibia 5-1 in front of a near-empty stadium behind a hat trick from Soufiane Alloudi. The reported attendance only numbered around 200, which is an embarrassment for a competitive international game.

Mali recorded a huge, huge 1-0 victory over Benin to cap off yesterday's slate of games. Group B is extremely tough with Ivory Coast and Nigeria at the top, and it was key for Mali to beat Benin to keep their hopes of advancing alive. They'll play Nigeria next and the winner of that game (or Mali if they can get a draw) will be in prime position to move on.

Group C is in action today as Egypt and Cameroon will square off and Sudan and Zambia, the two minnows out of the four, will play. Full details tomorrow, check back during the afternoon.

Changes Must be Made at Liverpool

If you had just walked into the room and didn’t know the score of today’s game between Aston Villa and Liverpool and saw the way Peter Crouch wheeled off to the corner after scoring an 88th minute goal, you’d probably think that he just won the Premier League for the Reds. In reality, the 6′7″ striker simply levelled the game for Liverpool at 2-2.

This, in a nutshell, is what’s wrong with Liverpool right now. The players and fans are satisfied with draws when they should win and losses when they should pick up a point. I’m not seeing any killer instinct from this team; they play the exact same way in the 17th minute that they do in the 81st minute, and quite frankly, that’s an uninspired style of soccer.

Rafael Benitez is–and here’s that word again–one of the most uninspiring, boring managers on the face of the earth. Every time the camera pans to him on the sideline, he’s bringing his arms closer together and screaming the word “compact” at his players. Hmm, compact. Compact like Steven Gerrard going out to play right back or left wing like he did today? No, I think not. That’s how you know something has to change. I think Rafa has lost the team in many respects. Liverpool’s fans will tell you that it was Rafa who won the Champions League for them in Istanbul a couple seasons ago, but they’re wrong. It was Steven Gerrard who led Liverpool to their fifth European Cup (…”18 leagues, that’s what we call history”…you’re right, it is HISTORY, it certainly isn’t the present) by putting the team on his back and carrying them to that historical comeback.

Say what you want about Liverpool’s American owners, say that they’re a huge distraction and that they don’t have the club’s best interests at heart, whatever. Here’s the reality of the situation. The owners have NOTHING to do with what happens on the field. Last time I checked, and I can go back and watch the game again, but Mr. Hicks and Mr. Gillett weren’t playing for Liverpool when they drew with Wigan at home, drew with Birmingham at home, drew with Spurs at home, and lost at Reading. Notice a theme here? A championship-caliber team like Liverpool and their fans claim themselves to be don’t draw in those type of games and they certainly don’t lose. I could care less what you have to say about the owners as it relates to Liverpool FC on the field because these are professional players, they get paid very handsomely to play a GAME, to play 90 minutes. When they’re between the touchlines, they don’t have the club’s owners in their minds; the only thing they’re thinking about is the game itself.

The owners aren’t going to leave even though that’s what most of the fans want (they want DIC apparently, good for them). Fans in England and across Europe don’t seem to understand the concept that owners don’t actually have to support their club. That’s not to say that the owners don’t want what’s best for the club, but the club isn’t like a childhood team that they rooted for; the club is a business enterprise in which they can make money, nothing more. Things aren’t like they used to be in your parents’ generation when clubs truly cared about their fans and the owners and chairmen were diehard supporters.

There’s something in the Red section of Merseyside when a draw at home against Aston Villa is considered to be a good result. Don’t get me wrong, Aston Villa are an impressive young side but a team as good as Liverpool say they are would win that game. Manchester United throttled Villa 4-1 earlier in the season. Liverpool simply aren’t good enough this year, that’s just a fact. It’s no anomaly that after 22 games, more than halfway through the season, that teams are where they are in the standings. Liverpool are the 5th best team in the Premier League but when you look at the actual talent on the roster, they should be no worse than 4th and possibly even 3rd.

This is why I believe Rafa has to go and I can’t put it any simpler than that. Liverpool have enough talent and capability to be so much better than they have been this year, and I put that squarely on Rafa’s shoulders. When a manager can’t blend a roster and shape it in a style that allows for the most possible success, he isn’t doing his job. I don’t believe for a second that the players enjoy playing for him because he’s one of the least friendly, distant managers I’ve ever seen. There’s a reason you hear Aston Villa’s players come out publicly and sing the praises of Martin O’Neill and that’s because they like playing for him; O’Neill takes the time to forge a relationship with his players beyond the soccer field and they respect that, whereas I’ve never once seen a Liverpool player back Benitez in that same fashion. There’s a reason you hear players at Manchester United talk about what a joy it is to play for Sir Alex Ferguson and players at Portsmouth do the same about Harry Redknapp, but you don’t hear Jamie Carragher or Steven Gerrard talk about Rafa in such a positive light.

If you’re a Liverpool fan, take a step back from the Rafalogy cult you’ve subscribed to and look at the situation your club is in. In a season that held high hopes and one in which Benitez stated that the Premiership title was his main goal, you’re in 5th place, 14 points behind Manchester United. You’ve crashed out of the Carling Cup and have been fortunate to draw the teams you’ve drawn in the FA Cup. You’ve got a tie against the second most impressive team in Europe this season in Inter Milan in the Champions League coming up and I’m not you’ll come out of that and advance. You’ve got a captain and center midfielder in Steven Gerrard who clearly, clearly isn’t buying into the system Rafa wants to employ.

Someone has to go, changes have to be made. It’s not going to be the owners and it’s not going to be Steven Gerrard, which means Rafa’s head is on the chopping block and the switch could be pressed at any moment.

Something has to be done, what’s it going to be?

African Cup of Nations Recap--Day 1

As I said before in my previous post about the 2008 African Cup of Nations, I'm very disappointed that I'm not going to be able to watch the games on TV. I’m going to try and do my best to keep with this tournament as best I can, but that’s not nearly the same as actually watching games live. The African Cup of Nations is the second biggest continental championship in the world in my opinion, and it's an absolute outrage that it's not available here in the States for free on TV.

That said, the tournament started in rousing fashion yesterday. Ghana, the host nation, defeated Guinea 2-1 on a last-minute rocket from Portsmouth midfielder Sulley Muntari, who I picked to be the top newcomer to the Premier League before the season started. The Black Stars feature a roster that includes four players who play their domestic soccer in the Premiership and to be honest, were fortunate to beat Guinea yesterday.

What I'm planning on doing is coming out with a recap of the games every day and highlight the contributions of the Premiership players on each team. Guinea doesn't have anyone on their roster who plays in England, much less the Premiership, and Ghana's lineup yesterday also featured Chelsea stalwart Michael Essien and Birmingham goalie Richard Kingson.

There's a pretty good slate of games on tap today, particularly the Nigeria-Ivory Coast affair that's ongoing as I type this. I picked Ivory Coast to win the whole thing, so hopefully they start out group play on a good note.

New ''I'm on Setanta Sports". Fantastic.

A Weekend to Forget? Not So Fast, My Friend

If you're a neutral observer like me, this weekend's slate of games really doesn't have any compelling storylines or reasons to get excited, at least from the outside. None of the big teams are playing each other and there are no rivalry games. The closest thing to a true derby is the Fulham-Arsenal affair at Craven Cottage tomorrow but I don't think anyone expects that game to be pleasing to the eye.

Look a little bit deeper though. You'll find what could be a pretty good game between Reading and Manchester United as Reading went to Old Trafford early in the season and escaped with a point. Now the Royals get a chance to knock off the defending champions at the Madejski Stadium tomorrow in front of what should be a capacity crowd in Reading. United have lost three times away from home this season already. Can Reading make it a fourth? I'm not so sure, but I think that's still a game to keep an eye on.

Kevin Keegan will make his Premiership return with Newcastle as his side welcomes Bolton to St. James Park tomorrow afternoon. With Nicolas Anelka gone to Chelsea and with the incredible amount of emotion one would expect to see from Newcastle, you wouldn't think Bolton has much of a chance but emotion can only carry Newcastle so far. Bolton will have to commit men forward if they want to win, which is more than possible. Newcastle are a bad team; Bolton have no punch without Anelka. You say boring, I say one of the most exciting draws you'll see all season simply because no one is expecting much out of this game. Hey, if Newcastle lose, maybe we'll see Kevin Keegan cry again, you never know. That possibility alone makes this game worth watching.

West Ham and Manchester City will square off for the second time in four days on Sunday as the two sides will get together again at Eastlands after City beat the Hammers 1-0 there in a FA Cup 3rd Round replay on Wednesday. Nothing says emotion and passion like renewed acquaintances and I'd expect to see most of the same players on Sunday that we saw in midweek because both teams sent out full-strength sides. I think there's a good chance we'll see our share of yellow cards and possibly a sending off or two in this game. Remember, both teams are within striking distance of a place in Europe next season, so that just makes Sunday's match even more meaningful.

I'll be honest with you, the rest of this weekend's games don't look to be that great, on paper at least. That's the beauty of the Premiership though. Did anyone foresee that 4-4 goalfest between Aston Villa and Chelsea a couple weeks ago? I know I didn't; Chelsea rarely score more than a goal or two in a game, much less concede more than once. The Premiership is the most entertaining league in the world. I'm not expecting anything from the other games this weekend but even though I can say that with certainty now, just watch a candidate for game of the year come out from the woodwork.

I wouldn't be surprised, and you shouldn't be either.

Newcastle Hires Kevin Keegan

The hiring of Kevin Keegan today to become Newcastle's manager (again) demonstrates why the Tyneside club have become one of the laughingstocks of the Premier League: Instead of looking to the future, they've fallen back into the deadly trap that is the past. What's worse is that Mike Ashley, Newcastle's owner, had to have made this decision based solely on what his club's fans wanted rather than making the best business decision and what was right for the team by going with a foreign manager.

I have nothing against Kevin Keegan whatsoever. He's a Liverpool legend and was a great player for Newcastle and Southampton and wasn't too shabby during his time in Germany with Hamburg either.

What has he accomplished as a manager though?? Listen, I could care less about the two First Division titles he has and the one Second Divison championship; those don't prove anything to me at all. Newcastle were the runners-up in the Premier League in 1995-1996 and lost the Charity Shield to begin the '96-'97 season; again, not impressive to me. Second place in the Premiership is nice and not too shabby of an accomplishment, I admit that, but that was the best he could do in thirteen years of management.

He didn't do anything when he coached England except crash them out of the group stage in Euro 2000, when they lost two games in which they led at some point. Keegan finished with a .500 record with England (7-4-7) and in terms of winning percentage is the least successful permanent manager in England national team history.

Let me put this out there. If Keegan didn't win multiple domestic and European trophies when he was at Liverpool as a player, I don't think he would even have gotten into the management door. People don't seem to understand that being a great player and playing on a great team doesn't necessarily translate to being a good manager; the two aren't connected like that.

Apparently Newcastle owner Mike Ashley (all 567 pounds of him) doesn't see it that way, and that's fine. His problem is that as a fan himself, he's biased towards guys like Keegan and Shearer; he even sits with the fans at home matches. He has absolutely no knowledge and experience in the game of soccer other than making his fortune in the sporting goods business, and he clearly doesn't understand the game. If he did, he would realize that appointing a figure from the past isn't the answer the answer for Newcastle's problems in the present and certainly isn't the right way to steer the team to better things in the future.

There were better, more qualified candidates that Ashley could have, and should have, pursued. Yes, I give him credit for going after Harry Redknapp and trying to lure him with the big bucks, but come on; Redknapp was never going to leave the South Coast for the coal heap that is Newcastle. The favorite over the past few days had been former Monaco and Juventus manager Didier Deschamps, who did an outstanding job in leading Monaco to a Champions League final in 2004 and won Serie B with a depleted Juventus side after the Italian match-fixing scandal.

Mark Hughes would clearly have been a better choice than Keegan with the way he's led Blackburn to a possible UEFA Cup spot this year and he has that team on the right track, and Gerard Houllier would have been the best choice of all. Houllier is outstanding at developing young players and Newcastle really needs an injection of young talent into their side. The Frenchman had just come off two La Ligue titles in a row at Lyon and won two Carling Cups, a UEFA Cup, and an FA Cup at Liverpool. It was reported that Houllier turned Mike Ashley down to stay at his post with the French national team, but I have a feeling that's because Ashley didn't offer Houllier a good enough amount of money.

If you're a member of the Toon Army, you think you won. You persuaded your owner to hire a blast from the past because you think he's the right man to take you out of the hole you've dug yourself in over the past few years.

I've got news for you. You lost. You lost bigtime.