Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink Has Retired

The Premiership's 8th-leading goalscorer of all time, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, retired today, and I'm amazed at how quietly the whole thing has gone down.

The Dutchman is one of two players never to have played in the Eredivisie and still be selected to Holland's national team, scoring 9 goals in 23 games for the the Oranje.

Hasselbaink tallied 128 goals in England's top flight with Leeds, Chelsea, Middlesbrough, and Charlton Athletic, and piled up a whopping 175 in all competitions. His best years were spent at Stamford Bridge in the early part of this decade, where he was a club-record $30 million signing at the time and scored 87 goals in 177 games, a staggeringly proficient strike rate at any level, much less the Premiership.

He then moved to Middlesbrough, where he was still a solid option, but Father Time finally caught up to him at Charlton in '06-'07 and Cardiff last season. His contract with Cardiff wasn't renewed for this year, and although there were some rumors linking him to a couple Championship clubs late this summer, nothing ever came to fruition. Instead of pursing other options further, the 36-year-old Suriname-born striker has chosen to hang his cleats up.

As I said earlier, though, it's shocking to me how little attention this announcement has gotten from the media. There's no question that Hasselbaink's career really stalled at the end of his tenure at Middlesbrough and at Charlton and Cardiff, but this guy was as good as there was in three countries -- Portugal, Spain, and England -- for 10 years. Anything better than a goal every three games is considered pretty good for a striker, and Hasselbaink was close to a goal every two games at his prime.

I get the feeling that if Hasselbaink was English, this would be more of a story. He'd be hailed as a national hero and celebrated far and wide. Because he isn't, however, this is getting overlooked and it's a shame. The article I found was buried way down on the BBC's soccer page and wasn't even on ESPNsoccernet or Sky Sports, at least not at the time of my writing this post. Instead, I have to read things about Chelsea's appeal of John Terry's red card, Manchester United's backup goalkeeper signing a contract extension, Samir Nasri's questionable status for a Champions League game against Dynamo Kiev, and Craig Fagan's broken leg. Come on.

Hasselbaink is a classy, classy individual, and there aren't enough of those left in the game. He was dangerous every time he stepped on the field. He'll certainly be missed by me, and I hope you pay tribute to his accomplishments as well.

Premiership Preview--14. Middlesbrough

According to the BBC in an online article published in December of last year, Middlesbrough's youth academy has produced the most graduates (9) eligible to represent England at international level and start in at least five senior games for the club since the 2002-2003 season, including Stewart Downing, Lee Cattermole (now at Wigan), David Wheater, Stuart Parnaby (now at Birmingham City), Andrew Taylor, and Adam Johnson. Lesser-known but still young players like Jonathan Grounds, Josh Walker, and Seb Hines also came from the academy, and they too seem to have a future with The Boro.

Despite this success at youth level, where they also lost in the 2003 FA Youth Cup final and then won the competition the next year, Middlesbrough's first team has struggled to get out of the bottom half of the Premiership -- they've done so only twice in the last 10 seasons, with a 7th-place finish their highest in England's top flight since 1974-75. Boro lost to Juande Ramos' Sevilla side in the 2005-2006 UEFA Cup final and appeared in the Round of 16 the season before, but those are the two bright spots in a decade of mediocrity.

Gareth Southgate is entering his third season as manager after spending the previous five seasons as a player at the Riverside. He's led the club to 12th and 13th place in his first two seasons, respectively, and compiled an overall record of 27-29-36 during that time. All-in-all, the second-youngest manager in the Premiership at 37 years of age has done a decent job, but he understands that Middlesbrough fans want to see their club make a jump up into the top ten within the next couple years.

To that end, Southgate has brought in two solid signings -- Didier Digard, a young French midfielder, from PSG, and Marvin Emnes, a pacey 20-year-old winger/striker who was the 2007-08 Fans' Player of the Year at Sparta Rotterdam. Emnes may play right away on the right flank opposite Downing, and Digard should replace George Boateng, who left for Hull City, in the holding role.

Southgate has made it clear that he wants to rebuild at Middlesbrough and usher in a youth movement. He wants to bring more energy and exuberance into the club, which you'll see with Digard and Emnes. He let Boateng go as the player doesn't fit this mold, allowed Boro's long-time goalkeeper, 37-year-old Mark Schwarzer, to leave for Fulham on a free transfer, and released Fábio Rochemback. I'm not sure if he wanted to sell Cattermole, who Southgate handed the captain's armband to for a game when Cattermole was only 19, but may have felt the offer from Wigan was too good to pass up. He essentially just swapped Cattermole for Digard, a great tackler, and only paid a net cost of $1 million to do so.

The interesting thing about Boro is, unlike any of the teams I've previewed so far, they don't have one group (goalie/defense, midfield, forwards) that stands out visibly above the other two or is obviously weaker than the other two -- all three are consistent.

The back four is sturdy with Emanuel Pogatetz and David Wheater as the anchors in the middle, though Pogatetz is a natural left back and Robert Huth can play alongside Wheater if preferred. The midfield is good with Downing, Digard, Julio Arca, and either Gary O'Neil, Enmes, or even Jérémie Aliadière, who would rather play up top, wide right. The combination of Afonso Alves and Tuncay up front blossomed at the end of the season. Aliadière is a viable strike option as well, and Mido isn't bad off the bench.

Many players on the roster can play multiple positions, so Southgate can mix and match until he settles on some combination he really likes. He's not locked into playing the same formation with the same players on a weekly basis, which is a huge advantage for a manager.

Projected Starting Lineup (4-4-2):
*GK: Brad Jones

**RB: Luke Young
CB: Wheater
CB: Pogatetz
LB: Taylor

RMF: O'Neil
DMF: Digard
CMF: Arca
LMF: Downing

ST: Tuncay
ST: Alves

*Schwarzer's departure has left the starting keeper's job wide open, with some speculating that Jones, last year's backup, will go between the sticks, and others saying Southgate will go out and buy a proven number one. Because Jones is currently the best option, he's my projected starter, but I wouldn't be surprised if Southgate did acquire another keeper.

**With Young's move to Aston Villa today, Middlesbrough doesn't have anyone on their first team roster at present who started a league game at right back last season. It's unclear, then, who would start, but it obviously won't be Young.

Middlesbrough should get off to a decent start, with winnable home games against Tottenham, Stoke, and West Brom amongst their opening six matches. The first of two Tees-Wear derbies comes at Sunderland on September 20. Nine total goals were scored in the corresponding games last season, so that should be a good one to watch.

November brings home games against West Ham, Bolton, and Newcastle in a Tyne-Tees derby affair. Middlesbrough would love nine points from those fixtures as their other two that month come at Aston Villa and at Everton, where Boro certainly won't be favored.

Arsenal comes to the Riverside on December 13 and in the same game last year, Boro pulled off a thrilling 2-1 victory. A potentially difficult month with that match, a visit to Old Trafford, and a home game against Everton could be made better with road victories at Hull City and Fulham.

Southgate's club finishes the season in style as they'll see Arsenal, Manchester United, and Newcastle in three consecutive weeks, followed a home game with Villa and a trip to East London to play West Ham to end the campaign. Remember, Middlesbrough is usually simply playing out the string in March or April -- they seem to be condemned to another middling finish by then and have little motivation or anything to play for -- but that won't be the case this year with that kind of opposition awaiting them.

Bottom Line: This team is being built for the future, and success usually comes only through growing pains. That's what this season probably will be for Middlesbrough fans, because while they're decent in all facets of the game, they haven't broken through to being very good in any. It takes time and experience to do that, things that many of Boro's players don't have at the Premiership level. They have obvious upside and could definitely be a team to watch going forward, but for this year, it'll be another bottom-half finish.

Walking in a Winter Wonderland..in April?!?

This weather in England is crazy.

I wrote a post a couple weeks ago about how there was rain, sleet, snow, and sunshine all in the space of an hour or so in the Tottenham-Portsmouth game at White Hart Lane. I couldn't believe the drastic, sudden changes in weather but after today, nothing should surprise me.

It's the beginning of April, but you wouldn't know it if you were watching the Middlesbrough-Manchester United match today in the North East. I turned on the TV and thought I was watching an NFL game in Cleveland or Buffalo in the dead of winter. Snow was falling as hard as I've seen it come down in a while, and the condition of the field obviously reflected this. The ball was skipping, players were slipping and sliding, and yet the passion from them and fans alike was still evident.

I have to give Middlesbrough's supporters a lot of credit; I've criticized them harshly (but fairly) in the past for not filling the Riverside for a big game but today they came out in droves. The stadium was nearly sold out and the fans gave such a boost to the team. They played a huge part in spurring their club on to hold Manchester United, the defending champions and likely champions this season as well, to a 2-2 draw, and Tuncay almost won the game for Boro at the very death. Snow and cold didn't seem to bother the crowd in the least bit and they were singing and chanting and shouting for the full 90 minutes.

Good stuff as usual from England. Soccer can truly be played in all conditions, and we saw that today.

Who Needs Aliadière When You Have Paddy Kenny??

Obviously not Middlesbrough, who advanced to the quarterfinals of the FA Cup yesterday thanks to an own-goal from Sheffield United goalkeeper Paddy Kenny in extra-time.

It was a harsh ending for Kenny, who had played a very good game in net for the Blades.

Jérémie Aliadière’s Ban is Ridiculous

Middlesbrough’s Jérémie Aliadière, the man with the last name that takes me 73 tries to pronounce correctly, had his red card appeal denied today on the grounds of its “frivolous” nature and his ban increased from three to four games.

This is one of the biggest farces I’ve seen all season.

I don’t subscribe to any conspiracy theories suggesting that the Premier League publicly wants the “Big Four” to finish in the top four, so I don’t believe that this is a case of Middlesbrough being harshly done by and Liverpool escaping without penalty simply because they are Middlesbrough and Liverpool.

With that said, this is simply outrageous. Aliadière should NEVER have been sent off in the first place. Sorry, the “violent conduct” section in FIFA, UEFA, and the FA’s rules dealing with this sort of thing shouldn’t apply to what Aliadière did; it should be reserved for actually striking or punching, or attempting to punch, an opponent in a malicious manner. This was nothing more than a light tap on the face, so I don’t buy the red card for a second.

Not only do I not buy the red card though, I have a problem with the way match referee Lee Mason handled the situation. First of all, Aliadière was responding to Liverpool’s Javier Mascherano putting his hand on the Frenchman’s mouth in a muzzling, shut-your-mouth-type manner. If you’re going to send Aliadière off, then surely Mascherano should’ve been dismissed as well since he instigated the whole thing to begin with.

Coaches always say that it’s not the first one that gets caught, it’s the retaliation. That certainly proved to be true in this instance.

As a referee myself, I would’ve handled the situation much differently. This is a professional game we’re talking about here, a match in one of the top leagues in the world. We’re not talking about kids, where sportsmanship and safety and all those things are more important than winning. Liverpool are battling for every point they can get to climb back into the 4th spot, and Boro need every point they can get to feel safe from relegation. Understandably, emotions were running high as Boro were frustrated that they were losing. If I would’ve been in charge, both players would’ve been called over, warned, and that’s it, end of story, let’s move on. No need to hand out cards, certainly not a red card, and especially not a red card to one player and not both. It takes two to tango, does it not?

To make matters worse, Aliadière had his already unfair suspension increased by another game. He’ll now have to sit out Boro’s next four matches, including their FA Cup Fifth Round replay and potential FA Cup quarterfinal, and that’s a big blow to that club’s attack. Aliadière doesn’t score many goals, but his pace opens up space on the field for others to run into and he’s a pretty decent passer of the ball. Meanwhile, Javier Mascherano gets off scot-free, even though the referee’s assistant had a clear view of what went on and could easily have recommended a booking for the Argentine.

Boro chief executive Keith Lamb was rightly upset at the decision, branding it “a travesty of justice.”

Lamb also said, “We are furious and totally astounded that the commission, without consultation, should consider our appeal to be frivolous. Who are they to know our minds when we made this appeal? We are appalled at the decision and the entire process. How can nameless, faceless people on a commission decide that our genuine claim for equality and justice be dealt with in such a flippant manner? It is a disgraceful comment to suggest our claim was frivolous. We agonised over it before deciding to submit a claim for wrongful dismissal.”

Good for you Mr. Lamb, you have every right to be incensed with this mockery of a ruling.

FA Cup Quarterfinal Draw

The draw for the quarterfinal round of the world's oldest soccer competition was conducted today in Soho Square. From a record 731 teams that entered the 2007-2008 edition of the FA Cup, we're down to the last 8/9 and for a neutral fan like myself, this draw shaped up very nicely. All four ties will be played on the weekend of March 8.

Everyone's sentimental pick to win this tournament now has to be League One's Bristol Rovers, the lowest-placed team left standing. The newly-promoted Pirates will have every chance to advance to the semifinals as they'll host West Bromwich Albion, who just spanked fellow Coca-Cola Championship side Coventry City 5-0 on the road. Fortunately for Bristol Rovers, that game was a bit of an anomaly as W.B.A. have a losing record (6-2-8) this season away from home. With that said, Rovers' home record hasn't exactly been outstanding so far this year either (5-6-3) but there should be a sellout, raucous crowd at Memorial Stadium to give them an extra boost.

The other lower-profile, lower-league team who has reached this stage is Barnsley, and they are coming off a huge 2-1 upset victory at Anfield on Saturday. The Tykes drew a home game in this round so that works in their favor, but they'll have the distinct displeasure of hosting Chelsea, who are the defending FA Cup champions. Barnsley have been very good on home turf this season (9-5-2) and have obviously just proven that they are capable of beating a Premiership power. I don't particularly like their chances of knocking off Chelsea in this game, but I wouldn't be surprised if they were able to force a replay at Stamford Bridge either and take their chances there.

In the other two quarterfinal, or 6th Round as the FA likes to call it, ties, we'll see an all-Premiership battle as Manchester United will welcome road warriors Portsmouth to Old Trafford, and then the winner of the Middlesbrough-Sheffield United replay will host Cardiff City.

Complete Quarterfinal Draw:

Barnsley vs. Chelsea
Bristol Rovers vs. West Bromwich Albion
Middlesbrough/Sheffield United vs. West Bromwich Albion
Manchester United vs. Portsmouth

Note: Premiership teams are in bold

FA Cup 5th Round Recap

Seven out of the eight FA Cup 5th Round ties were settled this weekend, with only the Middlesbrough-Sheffield United pairing in need of a replay. That match will come at the Riverside on the 26th, but both teams will be in the hat for tomorrow's quarterfinal draw.

Two surprise teams will be joining the aforementioned sides and the other five winners in that draw.

Barnsley, currently sitting in 14th place out of 24 in the Coca-Cola Championship, shocked Liverpool at Anfield by coming away with a 2-1 victory, a match which I covered in my last post.

The lowest-placed team left in this tournament, Bristol Rovers, hosted Southampton and won 1-0 on an 84th minute free kick from Richard Lambert. The Pirates are in 13th place out of 24 in League One right now and were only promoted to England's third-tier league last May after defeating Shrewsbury Town 3-1 in the League Two Playoff. This is a team who has now defeated at least one team in every division of the Football League in this year's FA Cup. They're riding the wave of success and have become the sentimental favorites to win this competition.

Portsmouth were fortunate to escape Preston with a 1-0 win as it took a 93rd minute own-goal to save the South Coast side from a home replay. David James showed why he's been selected as England's number one goalkeeper with a PK save on the hour mark. The most compelling storyline of the game didn't even come to fruition; David Nugent wasn't fit enough to play for Pompey in what would have been a return against the club for which he starred before moving on last summer.

Manchester United sent a convicingly strong message to Arsenal in a 4-0 home victory for the Red Devils. Arsene Wenger played a nearly full-strength lineup so there can be no excuses about that, and United showed that they're a different team when Wayne Rooney is on the field. The title race is not over yet; Arsenal will have to go back to Old Trafford in April and this FA Cup match served them notice that they better come ready to play.

Elsewhere, Chelsea took care of business at home against Huddersfield Town (3-1), and Coventry City thumped West Bromwich Albion 5-0 on the road in a battle of two recent Premiership sides.

Complete FA Cup 5th Round Scores:

Bristol Rovers-1, Southampton-0
Barnsley-2, Liverpool-1
Cardiff City-2, Wolverhampton-0
West Bromwich Albion-5, Coventry City-0
Chelsea-3, Huddersfield Town-1
Manchester United-4, Arsenal-0
Sheffield United-0, Middlesbrough-0
Portsmouth-1, Preston North End-0

Note: Premiership teams are in bold

As I said earlier, the quarterfinal draw will be made tomorrow morning here on the East Coast. You can find full coverage and analysis of that on this site and at epltalk.com.

Wise Move by Stewart Downing?

Middlesbrough left winger Stewart Downing signed a new five-year contract with the club today after weeks of maintaining his wish to leave Boro when his previous contract expired after the 2009-2010 season.

Downing has seemingly been rumored to join Tottenham in every recent transfer window, and looked a good bet to do just that in January. He's a 23-year old graduate of Boro's reputable youth academy, which has churned out some talented youngsters over the past several seasons and still appears strong.

The left-footer has also earned 16 caps for England and many people believed him to be England's next big thing at his position. He made his first senior appearance at the age of 20 under former manager Sven-Goran Eriksson, but his international career has stalled over the past couple of seasons due to injury and poor form.

Downing is a hometown boy and is probably Middlesbrough's best player right now. He's likely bringing in a pretty handsome salary with other clubs' interest in him driving up the the price for Boro to keep him, and he's one of their most tenured players anyway.

This is the issue for me as it relates to Downing. I don't think staying at Middlesbrough will help him grow at all as a player, and it definitely lessens his chances of a significant future with the national team. Ashley Young's emergence on the left side at Aston Villa has been a revelation to some people, and his 13 assists are tied for the most in the Premiership this season. Young is a spectacular set-piece taker, has great pace, and can score goals from open play. He's a year younger than Downing as well, and was handed a cap by new manager Fabio Capello in England's recent 2-1 friendly victory over Switzerland. Joe Cole still has a big role with the national team also; Cole can play on both wings or behind the striker, and his versatility is a great asset to have.

Where does this leave Downing? With England, he has to be the third-choice on that left side now, even though he really looked to be the player of the future at that position as I said previously. With Middlesbrough, he's stuck on a club that's mired in neutral. Yes, Boro has ambition, but teams around them in the table have more money and nicer stadiums, so those clubs are able to attract better talent for the most part, even though I know Boro just landed record signing Afonso Alves.

This is a guy who would've fit in nicely at Spurs in my opinion, a team loaded with young British players and one that's in need of a player on the left wing. Playing for Juande Ramos, a well-known, accomplished international manager, would help Downing develop as a player much quicker than playing for the vastly less experienced Gareth Southgate. At Boro, he’s a star and sometimes has a tendency to take his foot off the pedal; at Spurs, he would’ve been just another good player on a team full of good (and a couple great) players and would’ve had to work his tail off.

I'm interested to hear your take on this, especially if you're a Boro fan. I'm not sure how much money Downing is making per week or per year at the Riverside, but surely Spurs would've offered him either very close to, as much as, or maybe even slightly more money. Spurs are a perennial UEFA Cup contender as well, and most players want a chance to play in a European competition.

It appears to me like Downing doesn't have much ambition; it's like he's lacking that drive to become the best player he can possibly be. He has it easy at Boro. He's one of the first names on the team sheet there every week as long as he's healthy. Playing for a bigger club would help him regain a meaningful role on the national team, but he seems satisfied with taking the easy route by staying at Boro.

What gives?

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.

"Grand Slam Sunday"?--Yeah, right!

The nonstop hype machine that is the media has been relentlessly shoving this Sunday's games between Arsenal-Chelsea and Liverpool-Manchester United down our throats for a week now, if not longer, and although I understand that they're just doing their job and catchy labels like "Grand Slam Sunday" are what sell newspapers and magazines and whatever else, I'm sick of it.

Here's the actual reality: Whenever "Big Four" teams play against each other, there's all kinds of pomp and buildup but the games themselves usually fail to deliver. They are often incredibly dull, and more times than not end up in draws, or maybe one team pushes across a scrappy, ugly goal to get the victory. Players and managers are afraid to get beaten and allow one of their fellow title challengers to take all three points, so they don't take many risks. Instead of playing to win, they play it close to the vest and the matches are not aesthetically pleasing, to say the least.

It's usually the games you wouldn't have expected that turn out to be the most exciting, games that feature relatively mid-to-low table sides. The potential for gain and reward far outweighs what they could lose so you usually see a more aggressive, attacking, up-and-down game. Last year just six points separated 11th place Aston Villa from 7th place Bolton, and only two points divided 7th and 9th place Portsmouth. There's nothing wrong with 9th or 11th, but 7th means the UEFA Cup and there's an added financial bonus there as well as the prospect of European competition. Teams will often scratch and claw for that and when four or five teams are in the running for one or two spots like they were last year, that's when you see exciting games because those teams need results; they can't afford to share the points.

Listen, I'll be watching these games this Sunday just like I know the rest of you probably will. I also know that I'm not likely to see a beautiful display of soccer; the term "Joga Bonito" doesn't apply to games like these. I believe both the Arsenal-Chelsea game and Liverpool-United match will end up 1-1. Honestly, I can't even watch Chelsea when they're playing weaker opponents like Derby or Sunderland, so I really am not expecting too much from the Blues-Gunners affair. Liverpool are coming off a big win over Marseille on Tuesday, they have momentum and confidence on their side, and they're at home. Manchester United are the better team overall though and when you add all those factors together, you get a draw.

There are some gems in the rough that I'm looking forward to on Saturday. Believe it or not, I think the Derby-Middlesbrough game is huge and both teams could desperately use the three points because they're each a candidate for relegation, Derby obviously more so. A draw won't do either of them much good and their talent level is relatively equal, so look for that game to be pretty free-flowing. You would have to believe the Portsmouth-Tottenham game will be a goalfest, maybe 3-2 or 4-3. West Ham is starting to get healthy again and they host Everton for the second time this week (Everton won 2-1 at Upton Park in their Carling Cup quarterfinal tie); I think that will be an exciting game as well.

Tune into those two games on Sunday, sure, but if you want to see 90 minutes' worth of action and fast pace, check out those Saturday games I mentioned as well. Don't believe the "Grand Slam Sunday" hype. "Stupor Sunday" will probably be a more fitting description.

Middlesbrough's Fans Are a Disgrace

I turned on the Middlesbrough-Arsenal game this morning and was disgusted by what I saw at Riverside Stadium. I'm not talking about the quality of play; that was fine, and Middlesbrough pulled a shocker in earning a 2-1 win over the previously unbeaten Gunners. I'm not talking about a sloppy field or bad weather; the pitch was in good shape and it was a nice day by English standards.

No, what I'm referring to is another disappointing turnout at the Riverside. Arsenal are on top of the Premiership and you would think a capacity crowd would've come to see them and make it more difficult for them to pick up a victory away from home. You would think that the fans would want to create a hostile atmosphere and environment so that their team, who are candidates for relegation, would have a better chance to earn much-needed points from the game. As usual, however, the English seem to defy customary logic and what I saw today was a three-quarters filled (maybe) stadium.

Middlesbrough's official average attendance this year is 26,393, good for 13th highest in the Premiership. Their stadium capacity is roughly 35,000, but if there are only 9,000 empty seats in that stadium on a given matchday, I'm Cristiano Ronaldo. I'm sorry, that attendance figure has to be completely inaccurate and it's such a shame when the fans don't come out to see these afternoon games, especially when the best team in the league comes to town. How Middlesbrough pulled out a victory today with the kind of crowd they had today is beyond me. It's a testament to the players more than anything and I give them full credit for getting up to play this game, but come on, it's pathetic that the stadium wasn't full and seeing all these empty seats on a weekly basis is just sad.

Season Summaries--17. Middlesbrough

17. Middlesbrough (My preseason prediction: 16th)

Aside from poor play on the field, the one thing that the bottom four clubs at this point in the Premiership table have in common is uncertainty at the manager's post. Wigan and Bolton have already replaced managers, Derby are probably a few more embarrassing results away from doing so, and Middlesbrough's Gareth Southgate seems to be the odds-on leader in the sack race. With just 10 points in their first 13 games, Middlesbrough are actually tied with Sunderland for 16th but anyone who's been watching the Premiership this season will tell you that Sunderland has been a far more competitive team.

Boro haven't won a league game in their last nine played and with their next three games coming against Aston Villa, Reading, and Arsenal, that streak figures to continue. They lost in the 3rd Round of the Carling Cup at Tottenham 2-0, which normally would have been a respectable result, but with the way Spurs were playing back in late September one really would've thought Middlesbrough could come away with a victory, or at least push the game into extra time and/or penalties. Winger Stewart Downing is Boro's leading goalscorer (3 in the Premiership), and though he's a good player in his own right, it shows just how much they're missing Yakubu and Mark Viduka up front. I can't see it getting much better for Middlesbrough and if it doesn't, I fully expect Gareth Southgate to be gone before Christmas.

Premiership Preview--16. Middlesbrough

16. Last season, 16th-12th positions were separated by only 7 points, and I have a feeling that this year, that gap will be just as close, if not smaller. There isn't much separating teams at those spots in the table, and it's almost a crapshoot predicting what teams will finish where.

Middlesbrough should, at 16th, be closer to safety than their place indicates. They're one step above the relegation battle but two or three steps below the teams challenging for the UEFA Cup spots, and to me, that indicates mid-bottom end of the league table. This is a team that finished 12th last year and limped through the home stretch of the Premiership season before winning their last two games. They didn't get much better this summer and with the considerable improvements that the teams who finished under Middlesbrough last year made, it's going to be Gareth Southgate's team near the bottom.

Middlesbrough essentially swapped strikers this offseason, acquiring the younger (but smaller) Tuncay Sanli and letting Mark Viduka, who scored some big goals for the club in his three seasons at the Riverside, go to Newcastle. Sanli comes over from Turkish club Fenerbahce, where he averaged roughly a goal every three games. However, it usually takes at least a season for players who come to England from somewhere else in Europe to adjust to the high level and fast-paced style of game played in the Premier League. Middlesbrough also brought in 24-year old Jeremie Aliadiere from Arsenal to boost their attacking punch and right-back Luke Young from relegated Charlton to help shore up a defensive unit that gave up 15 goals in the last 9 games of 2006-2007 season and also lost Stuart Parnaby and Abel Xavier this summer.

Middlesbrough's schedule can essentially be divided into three parts: Two long, extremely difficult stretches of games against teams expected to finish in, or at the very least challenge for, European places this season, and the rest of the games against mid-lower table sides that Middlesbrough will have to take as many points as they can from. From September 30-December 8, Middlesbrough will play 9 league games. Out of those 9, they'll be favored in just one of them, and even it's no guarantee (an away game at Manchester City). Also in that long stretch are home games with Chelsea, Tottenham, Aston Villa, and Arsenal, as well as road matches at Everton, Manchester United, Bolton, and Reading. As if that run of games wasn't difficult enough, there's also a killer finish to the season. February 23-April 26, a span of 10 league games, sees just one "gimme" (a home game with Derby County). Trips to Liverpool, Aston Villa, Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham, and Sunderland are also included, as are home dates with Reading, Manchester United, and Bolton. Those two stretches make up 19 games in total, half the total schedule. 57 points are possible from those games but I can't see Middlesbrough getting more than 20, certainly no more than 25. That means Middlesbrough will have to take care of business in their other games to assure themselves of another season in the Premiership.

Bottom Line-Middlesbrough should stay up, though the schedule-makers didn't do them any favors this season. It will be essential for Tuncay Sanli to have a productive season because Middlesbrough don't have a stable of strikers who can put the ball in the net. After Yakubu, the talent level drops to the likes of Jason Euell and Lee Dong-Gook. Ouch.

New Jerseys for Middlesbrough

Here's a look at Middlesbrough's new jerseys for the 2007-2008 Premier League campaign. The club has replaced former sponsor 888.com with Garmin, a satellite navigation company based in the Kansas City metropolitan area. Middlesbrough's new logo is featured prominently, which is a refreshing change from the uniforms that splash the sponsor's name in huge lettering across the jersey and leave little room for the club's crest to show. I like both jerseys a lot; maybe a bit plain for my taste, but overall, two nice jerseys. They should be available for purchase around the middle of August.
Jersey designer: Errea

•Image courtesy of footballshirts.co.uk

Roundup of Recent Friendlies

•Manchester City-3, Doncaster-1
•Manchester City-4, Orgryte-1
•Manchester City-2, Shrewsbury-0
•Manchester City-0, Valencia-1
•Arsenal-2, Barnet-0
•Arsenal-3, Genclerbirligi-0
•Arsenal-0, SV Salzburg-1
•Arsenal-2, Paris Saint-Germain-1 (Emirates Cup)
•Arsenal-2, Inter Milan-1 (Emirates Cup; Arsenal wins Emirates Cup)
•Arsenal-2, Lazio-1 (Amsterdam Tournament)
•Liverpool-3, Crewe-0
•Liverpool-3, Werder Bremen-2
•Liverpool-2, Auxerre-0
•Liverpool-3, South China-1 (Barclays Asia Trophy)
•Liverpool-2, Shanghai Shenhua-0 (Port of Rotterdam Tournament)
•Liverpool-1, Feyenoord-1
•Bolton-2, Chivas Guadalajara-0 (Peace Cup)
•Bolton-2, Racing Santander-1 (Peace Cup)
•Bolton-0, Lyon-1 (Peace Cup Final, Bolton wins Peace Cup)
•Bolton-3, Espanyol-0
•Reading-0, River Plate-1 (Peace Cup)
•Reading-1, Lyon-0 (Peace Cup)
•Reading-1, Shimizu S-Pulse-0 (Peace Cup)
•Reading-6, Brentford-1
•Reading-3, Wolverhampton-2
•Portsmouth-2, Yeovil-0
•Portsmouth-2, Havant & Waterlooville-0
•Portsmouth-1, Eastleigh-0
•Portsmouth-1, Fulham-0 (Barclays Asia Trophy)
•Portsmouth-0, Liverpool-0 (Portsmouth wins on PK’s, Barclays Asia Trophy Final)
•Portsmouth-4, Bournemouth-1
•Portsmouth-3, Leicester City-1
•West Ham-2, Dagenham and Redbridge-0
•West Ham-1, Leyton Orient-1
•West Ham-2, MK Dons-3
•West Ham-3, Southend United-1
•West Ham-2, AC Roma-1
•Chelsea-2, Club America-1 (World Series of Football)
•Chelsea-1, Suwon Bluewings-0 (World Series of Football)
•Chelsea-1, LA Galaxy-0 (World Series of Football)
•Chelsea-1, Feyenoord-1
•Chelsea-0, Rangers-2
•Chelsea-2, Brondby-0
•Middlesbrough-0, FC Schalke-3
•Middlesbrough-1, Burnley-1
•Middlesbrough-2, Darlington-0
•Manchester United-2, Urawa Red Diamonds-2
•Manchester United-4, FC Seoul-0
•Manchester United-6, Shenzhen Jianlibao-0
•Manchester United Reserves-2, Port Vale-3
•Manchester United-3, Guangzhou Pharmaceutical-0
•Manchester United-2, Inter Milan-3
•Manchester United-2, Doncaster-0
•Manchester United-3, Glentoran-0
•Manchester United-4, Dunfermline-0
•Newcastle-3, Hartlepool-1
•Newcastle-1, Carlisle United-1
•Newcastle-4, Celtic-1
•Newcastle-0, Hull City-1
•Newcastle-2, Juventus-0
•Newcastle-1, Sampdoria-0
•Fulham-1, Dagenham & Redbridge-0
•Fulham-4, South China-1 (Barclays Asia Trophy)
•Fulham-1, QPR-2
•Sunderland-2, Darlington-0
•Sunderland-4, Galway United-0
•Sunderland-1, Juventus-1
•Tottenham-2, Kaizer Chiefs-1
•Tottenham-2, Orlando Pirates-1
•Tottenham-3, Orlando Pirates-0 (Tottenham wins Vodacom Challenge Trophy)
•Tottenham-4, Leyton Orient-2
•Tottenham-2, Torino-0
•Everton-0, Real Salt Lake-2
•Everton-4, Ventura County Fusion (PDL)-0
•Everton-2, Werder Bremen-2
•Everton-0, Crystal Palace-0
•Aston Villa-4, Toronto FC-2
•Aston Villa-3, Columbus Crew-1
•Aston Villa-2, Stoke City-0
•Aston Villa-3, Inter Milan-0
•Wigan Athletic-2, Blackpool-1
•Wigan Athletic-2, Barnsley-0
•Wigan Athletic-2, Leeds United-1
•Derby County-2, Nottingham Forest-0 (Derby County wins inaugural Brian
Clough Trophy)
•Derby County-2, Espanyol-2
•Blackburn-1, Huddersfield-2
•Blackburn-3, Preston North End-0
•Birmingham-3, Peterborough-0

Note: Premiership team listed first, NOT home team

Mark Viduka, Joey Barton to Newcastle; Ben Haim as well?

Updating the previous post, Mark Viduka has signed a 2-year contract to play for Newcastle with an option for a third year. He becomes the fourth notable striker on Tyneside (along with Michael Owen, Obafemi Martins, and Shola Ameobi) and in my mind has to be either second or third in the pecking order there.

A deal for Manchester City midfielder Joey Barton is in the works as well and only an "admininstrative hitch" is holding the official transfer up. Barton is out of favor with the Blues and has agreed to an $11 million US switch and change of scenery. When his mind is right, the 24-year old can be a dynamic player and would be an immediate upgrade for the Magpies. He has plenty of talent but struggles to restrain his temper and his mouth, spouting off to teammates, opponents, and the media alike. If Sam Allardyce can rein Barton in, he will be getting a young player who can make a significant impact for his team.

Sam Allardyce's former Bolton defender Tal Ben Haim is also rumored to join Newcastle. He is out-of-contract with the Wanderers and the Israeli center back has drawn furious interest from Allardyce. At just 25 years of age Ben Haim still hasn't entered his prime as a player yet but has already made 88 Premier League appearances and would immediately be inserted into Newcastle's rather weak back line.

For the complete story regarding these three players, see

http://www.premierleague.com/fapl.raccommand=setSelectedId&nextPage=enNewsLatest&id=1815954&type=com.fapl.website.news.NewsItem&categoryCode=NewsLatestFAPremierLeagueNews

Mark Viduka to Play on Tyneside?

After spurning interest from West Ham, Birmingham, and Portsmouth, the 31-year old striker has agreed in principle to join Newcastle. Young Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate seems to have been unable to persuade Viduka to return to the Riverside next season and after a year of intense interest in the Australian forward, Newcastle appears to have landed his services.

He would become the first major signing of new manager Sam Allardyce, who seems to have an affection for older, veteran players (pretty much the entire Bolton roster that he put together). Viduka's goal-scoring production went up drastically this year (14 in 29 Premier League games) compared to the two seasons prior (12 in 43 Premier League games) and Newcastle would hope for a repeat performance. I find this to be unlikely as strikers, more so than other positions, tend to decline quickly with age, and I don't know if the supporting cast around him at Newcastle this year would be better than the one he had at Middlesbrough. If the deal becomes completed, it would have more of a repuation-based tint to it than anything else, but we'll see.

The complete story can be found here: http://msn.foxsports.com/soccer/story/6888688